


Totality's Greatest Pokemon Masters Series- Kanto Arc

by FSAppaneestyUOZC99999999Supremum



Series: Ash 9B6 Series [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Anti-God Pokemon, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Omnipotence, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Multi, Omega Omnisphere Pokemon Champions, Omega Pokemon, Omnicidal Psychopath, Other, Sexual Fantasy, Soul Bond/Eternal Bond
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-20
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:34:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 103,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23223349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FSAppaneestyUOZC99999999Supremum/pseuds/FSAppaneestyUOZC99999999Supremum
Summary: In the 999, 999th Pokemon UV universe, Ash Ketchum 9 by 6 is about to begin his Kanto Journey and set in motion a series of events that will lead to him becoming one of the greatest Pokemon Masters the Omega Omnisphere has ever known. An Amourshipping/Ash and OC/Dreamshipping Fic, featuring eventual godlike/omnipotent Ash with omnipotent Pokemon and equal challenges to face.
Relationships: Mew/Satoshi | Ash Ketchum, Satoshi | Ash Ketchum/Original Female Character(s), Satoshi | Ash Ketchum/Serena
Series: Ash 9B6 Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1669765
Comments: 4
Kudos: 2





	1. Prologue Part One: A Birth of Unlimited Miracles

_Dedicated to my best FF buddy and the one who ultimately inspired me to finally get this new story started, Dimension Distorter. Thanks a million Rey, this one's for you mate._

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything, nor do I make any profits off this whatsoever. I write purely for fun._

Prologue Part One: A Birth of Unlimited Miracles

Some people looked at their own newborn child as though they were the most beautiful creature to ever walk the earth; others were even more sentimental and believed their kid was an act of Arceus himself, a miracle baby of colossal proportions. In some instances, where there was a complication that the baby somehow managed to overcome on its way to its mother's waiting arms, one could truly call that sort of birth a living, breathing miracle. But in Delia Ketchum's own personal opinion, her 6 months of pregnancy had given the word miracle a whole new meaning, in ways she herself could scarcely imagine; and given her family's long and complicated history of impossible phenomena and achieving truly godlike feats, that was saying something.

Then again, given who the father of this child was she supposed she shouldn't have been too surprised, plus her own genes were clearly very strong, because all the scans showed her unborn child was the very picture of health, radiating energy and warmth inside of her that far exceeded anything the doctors had ever seen. Delia Ketchum was married to the most powerful man in the universe, the world champion Red or as she knew him, Fredrick Ketchum, who was one of the first ever Pokemon trainers to have ever reached a level of infinity in his Pokemon's training and powers. This was a feat the regional champions all made great haste to copy, following in their beloved leader's footsteps while the Pokemon League devised new wondrous technologies to scan for perfect Pokemon, supply for the newly developed Pokemon Navigator Plus's Dex Nav feature vastly outweighed by the demand for them. These technological advancements culminated in a new age of infinite power being born and the capture of Pokemon with infinite latent potential becoming all too easy.

Still though, Red didn't reach his mantle for nothing, and despite the recent outbreak of champion trainers who managed to go all the way in the Pokemon League he still maintained his throne as the one champion trainer who stood above all others. And with over seven hundred different species caught and fully evolved as well as fully trained, Red had accumulated vast godlike Pokemon Battling, ass kicking skills every other trainer aspired to achieve. Unfortunately for Delia, this also meant that her wayward husband, who could eat a buffet restaurant out of house and home; was too busy to make a lot of time for her and would just barely be in time to see his son's birth.

This was of course assuming her pregnancy went exactly as planned and given how healthy Ash was and how fast he was growing; he may actually decide he was ready for the outside world a little sooner than expected, not that it mattered to her. Because whether late or early, so long as she could hold her baby boy in her arms and be the kind of mom she always wanted to be, then she was happy. Truth be told she had wanted to travel for a long while, like her father Drake did prior to becoming the final member of the Hoenn Elite Four; but with her pregnancy and her being dead set in her refusal to give him up or get an abortion in the wake of the news that she was expecting, she knew she didn't regret a thing, not since she first laid eyes on him through the ultrasound.

She was only 18 years old; she figured she should have been out partying with her friends or even traveling on a Pokemon journey of her own. But in hindsight, she should have known that she and Red having a quick romp in the shower together would result in something like this; having not had the foresight to get protection and just getting caught up in the heat of the moment, but now she knew she wouldn't trade it for anything. Her husband was incredibly scared and excited at the same time, but not half as excited as she was. This child would have come into their lives sooner or later anyways, and at least she had the wisdom to prepare herself beforehand in case something like this happened. Also it helped that she had accumulated fantastic culinary skills in the wake of realizing she'd need to cook for her husband and that black hole he called a stomach. She had always asked herself where in the world he put it all, but had given up trying to find the answer to that question long ago.

She was glad she didn't give him up, and had bonded with her child the last few months when strange and wonderful things began happening to or around her, and even across the entire world of Pokemon as she knew it. For starters, her husband being the World Champion of the entire Worldly Pokemon League Association gave Red unrestricted access to limitless funds; funds he also set aside for her and the baby and which she invested the entirety of into Ash's future. She remembered something her mother said about having children, that when you do have kids it wasn't just about you anymore; in fact your entire world revolved around them.

Her husband had said something similar, ' _honey, our little boy is the embodiment of the immeasurable love and adoration we two share as husband and wife, as boyfriend and girlfriend, and as soul mates. To give him away in spite of all he has the capacity to become, would truly be a God awful sin, one I could never forgive you for. He embodies the best of both of us Delia, and we'll make this work I promise. Just trust me alright, I've got more money than I could ever spend in a billion lifetimes, and scarily enough I mean that quite literally, so let me take care of the finances and expenses and already you've won half the battle. Trust me when I say it pays to be married to the richest man in the world_ ,' he had chuckled with an almost smug grin, and Delia relented that he had a good point. Money was never an issue for them, her own father was an Elite Four member and thus was a multi billionaire himself, add to that her entire family's collective funds and Red's own infinite 'I can literally buy you the entire world' amounts of money; they were set for life and then some. Hell they and all the future generations of their extended family were set forever more; and she knew she'd never have to worry about money again.

So there was that, but other even more startling and unnatural things began happening in the world all around them ever since she first became aware she was pregnant, and for some reason she couldn't bring herself to believe it was merely a coincidence. Among many other things, trainers and Pokemon everywhere were reported as reaching an all time high level of cooperation and symbiotic relations, depending on each other more and more in order to survive and bring out each other's fullest potential. What's more, Pokemon that were reputed as having violent tempers or who had a history of feuding with one another as natural enemies were working in tandem with the police, the firefighters, and even medical hospitals everywhere to help the sick, injured, or people who were in danger. One report came out of a group of Seviper and Zangoose dropping everything they were doing and working together to help the law enforcement officers deal with a Pokemon Poacher and thanks to their efforts, the despicable man was safely behind bars and the Pokemon he hunted illegally were set free.

Furthermore, Delia herself had been saved by an act of Arceus, during a quick visit to professor Oak's laboratory and his ever-expanding ranch used to safely contain the Pokemon of trainers within a specific parameter. One of the Tyranitar living at the ranch had suddenly gone off into a rage driven by sheer pain that had professor Oak immediately on the scene with Delia swiftly following behind, wondering what the commotion was about. Professor Oak had just finished telling Delia to get back inside and to let him handle this when the Tyranitar charged at them, blinded by its incredible pain and rage as Delia barely had time to stifle a scream.

To her and the Pokemon's astonishment however, a white dome of sheer power and boundless brilliance that was lightly tinged in every other color in existence expanded out from her body and engulfed the whole of professor Oak's ranch, bathing everyone and everything present in the most blissful sensations; warmth, affection, tenderness, strength, and love. The feeling of absolute euphoria lasted only the briefest instant, but the behemoth charging her immediately stopped in its tracks as it too was bathed in this dome's light, warmth, and energy; the gash across its chest healing instantly leaving not even a scar in its place.

Delia and Oak watched in amazement as the proud pseudo-legendary Pokemon, who would normally only bow to a champion level trainer who had absolutely dominated it in a fight, bowed so low that its face touched the ground, kneeling at Delia's feet out of the utmost respect. This was something that still astounded her to think about even now several months later as Oak returned both the formerly wounded Tyranitar and its sparring partner to their Pokeballs and proceeded to stare at Delia in utter dubiousness. This was a look she'd never seen on the esteemed professor's face before and one that imprinted itself in her memory forever more. Whatever happened had startled him as much as it did her, and she could practically see the gears turning in his head as she left that day to go home and recover from the shock of that day's events.

Not even a month later, around two or so months into her pregnancy, she had gotten a call from her old friend Grace Yvonne to receive some startling news. Her husband Red had hired Grace's husband Richard as one of his Golden Elite Four members, so they had a long time working relationship, but their friendship predated even that since Richard was Red's main travel buddy and protégé in Kalos; the future runner-up for the world championship and his girlfriend Grace becoming two of Red and by extension Delia's best friends within a very short time frame. She and Grace actually had a lot in common, and Grace herself had been making a very decent living off of her Rhyhorn racing, something which she and Delia shared a mad passion for; even if Delia herself couldn't ride a Rhyhorn to save her life, she was extremely fond of the sport and thus she and Grace had immediately hit it off.

The news that Grace had delivered that day had been startling to say the least, and freakishly similar to some of the stuff she was dealing with regarding her pregnancy with Ash. Both she and Grace experienced the same enhanced warmth and the surprisingly easy lack of aches throughout their bodies or any of the other detriments usually associated with first time pregnancies. Delia had only needed a foot rub from her husband once, and could usually get around fairly easily even now at six months, but the fact that Grace was going through the same thing and that their bodies had become engulfed in that same dome of pure energy. The fact that they both remained inexhaustible and their energy levels were consistently at their peak could not be mere coincidence. Something very strange was going on and Delia didn't have to be a genius to figure out that this was no ordinary pregnancy, which is what eventually lead to the conversation between her and Red about a week after that phone call, a conversation that would change her life and her entire worldview forever more...

XXXXX

_Four Months Ago, during Delia's Second Month of Pregnancy_

" _Thank you for coming on such short notice honey, I know you're busy but I'm not sure this can wait," Delia had finally announced as Red literally teleported into her own home, his trusty psychic type, a Pokemon who was an engineered clone of Mew doing the job for him and displacing time and space to instantly transport her husband into their own home. There was once a time when Delia would have been startled by this, but she had had years now to get used to her husband's... entrances._

" _Sweetheart, you don't have to apologize to me for taking me outside of my own head and my job every once in .awhile You know I always value any and all time I spend with you. So what's the situation, I trust the pregnancy is doing alright," Red commented reassuringly, a slightly uneasy edge to his voice as he voiced the last part of his statement; one that Delia sensed the reasons for right away as she nodded reassuringly with a smile. It was at moments like this when she wanted to throw her arms around Red and kiss him with an overzealous passion, but it would have to wait until she confirmed something she had been toying with the idea of for a long time._

" _Well yes actually, the pregnancy is going without a hitch and the doctors keep telling me Ash is the very picture of health; in fact the doctors are saying he's the healthiest looking baby at 2 months they've ever seen, and there are these weird flashes of light that escape from my womb and light up my entire bedroom at night. This dome of energy keeps on appearing more and more while I sleep and I just feel so at ease and happy whenever it does; almost like there is nothing that can hurt me. There was one moment where this happened while I was being checked up on by the doctor, and the energy readings that resulted from that phenomenon had an infinity symbol typed on the initial test results. I'm scared Red, the doctors are saying my unborn child is some kind of freak of nature or something, and I'm being investigated for siring the child of some level infinity Pokemon or something, so if you could maybe clear some things up for me I'd really appreciate it," Delia asked, hating to ask favors of her husband like this and hating to basically sick him on the people insinuating that she was a Pokepheliac or some shit._

_Red merely scratched his chin, evidently deep in thought as Delia could practically see the well oiled machinery and gears turning in that ingenious mind of his. "That's... very strange, but not completely unheard of in my family's bloodline. To be honest I was kind of hoping this hereditary trait would skip Ash's generation somehow but it looks like my family's cursed blessing lives on," Red admitted woefully as Delia gasped. "He has the Ketchum Bloodline's gift of aura doesn't he, just like you do?!" she exclaimed, not really asking and figuring she already knew the answer as Red merely nodded._

" _Yes it would seem he has; now as to why the energy readings came out as an infinity symbol, I can't really say for sure. There have been rare cases where Aura Masters have been born in my family instead of the usual aura guardians. Now technically speaking, there are no true masters of aura, for all aura users are merely servants of its immense power, but the difference between an aura master and a regular aura guardian is that someone like our son may actually possess a substantially higher amount of spiritual energy within him than is typical. What startles me most, is that his energy levels are already infinite, because if he has infinite spiritual energy within him at such a young age as this with no training, and with no need to draw an infinite amount of ambient aura from external sources, like the tree of beginning, then he is the most powerful aura master ever born Delia, and if that's true, then you best be bracing yourself. Any master of aura who has a naturally unlimited base amount of spiritual power, especially at birth, is going to grow up into a being capable of performing limitless miracles. Arceus only knows how powerful he'll be or what abilities he'll develop overtime; but like I said before Delia we can make this work. He may not ever discover his infinite latent potential and just live a perfectly ordinary life, lots of people who have discovered later on in life that they have the power of aura within them have been able to lead perfectly ordinary lives, and our son is in no way any kind of exception to that rule._

_I understand that you're scared honey, but trust me, Ash isn't in any danger and absolute power or not, I'm fairly certain our boy will be looking to get into the family business anyways and will seek my title and my throne, as I myself did when I beat old professor Oak, the first world champ, at which point he withdrew from battling altogether and passed the mantle of world championship onto me. We'll be fine Delia, trust me, Ash will be a chip off the old block and who better to raise him into a proper young man than you? I may not have had your influence all my life and therefore some of my less endearing traits will stay with me until I'm old and grey, but at least with Ash we have a chance to get rid of any of the hereditary traits from my side that you always said endeared me to you a little less, but that's all going to depend on how we raise him, and at least you'll never have to worry about money," Red said in an attempt to reassure her as Delia drew a deep breath._

" _At least the matter of whether or not you're secretly a level infinity Pokemon in disguise has been resolved," Delia smirked teasingly, and Red stuck his tongue out at her like a giant four year old, but ultimately he was right. They had many things most first time parents didn't have to help them along the rough patches and Ash possessing unlimited amounts of natural aura would not have any impact on his ability to make friends, not if she had anything to say about it. She would make damn sure he lived an ordinary life with extraordinary qualities promised to him, qualities he would have to work for, such as beating his old man. She was hell bent on making this new life the perfect blend of ordinary and special, and for better or for worse at least Ash would have a kind, compassionate upbringing, and the most powerful man in the universe as a father and role model. She smiled chirpily; everything was going to turn out perfectly..._

XXXXX

Red was right in a way, somehow the glowing of infinite energy Ash was kicking out did not affect her pregnancy in a negative manner; even with the subtle but boundless thrum of energy within her being almost constant now, never allowing her to tire or be sore. She had come to see this as a sort of blessing as she began channeling that energy into everything she did from then on. She wasn't sure if she should be taking this inexhaustible energy she was constantly feeling for granted, but frankly she had just gotten so used to it. If somebody had told her six months ago that her pregnancy would be a walk in the park she would have scoffed at the very idea of it. Now though, she was starting to wonder who was carrying whom in this symbiotic relationship between a mother and her unborn child; because Ash was literally radiating so much energy it was sustaining her through all of the times that ought to be difficult. He was even protecting her from dangers that threatened her physical self.

Who knew that her sometimes blunt husband could be so considerate and caring of her feelings when she needed it, but she was glad he had been there to sort of walk her through the craziness. Truth is, her pregnancy was feeling more and more like a true miracle by the bloody day, and strange and unexplainable things just kept on happening, becoming so part of the norm that Delia was worried it wouldn't even be weird anymore given enough time.

For starters, Grace had called her at least three times since the first phone call between them, updating her on all the equally strange phenomena of her pregnancy, and with the little girl she was going to name Serena. She was only about three weeks further along than Delia was, but her pregnancy was just as strange; the same weird domes of kaleidoscopic lights, the same boundless energy rendering them both completely inexhaustible throughout the whole ordeal, and the same divine protection from falls and other potentially fatal accidents and phenomena that could have affected the pregnancy in any sort of negative way. Delia had already relayed the information to Grace about her husband's family possessing aura and that their son seemed to possess infinite amounts of it naturally at birth, something completely unheard of in all cases as Grace hung up after saying she would look into hers and Richard's family background for any kind of explanation to why this was happening to either one of them, never mind both at the same time.

For the first time in living memory, Delia didn't know at all what came next. She was prepared for the worst in worst case scenario but was silently praying for the best; knowing the God Pokemon Arceus himself to be real thanks to Red's legendary accomplishments such as being the first trainer to ever capture a Mew and train it to level infinity, a feat that transformed it into an omnipotent being much to Delia's joy and Red's displeasure. He didn't think there was much point in proving he was the best if his Pokemon contained within them the power to become absolutely unbeatable and invincible by their underlying nature; so he had instructed his trusty legendary psychic type to create certain limitations for himself, limitations Red was keeping a tight lid on, saying he wanted his challengers to find and exploit his Pokemon's weaknesses for themselves.

Mew and all of Red's other Pokemon had all become as fond as Delia as they were of their trainer, and knew that in time Ash would inherit all of the Pokemon between the two of them when they were gone from the world, something which made her worry because Red had recently informed her that an aura master with infinite latent potential like Ash could come to possess eternal life and absolute immortality, meaning that he'd be destined to live forever while eventually losing all his reasons to live. Delia couldn't stand the thought of her own son being condemned to an eternity of loneliness that only a level infinity Pokemon like Red's could understand, knowing that a life ending was ultimately what made it valuable and yet hoping Ash could somehow find a way to circumvent that particular aura master's super power.

All of this and more had the expecting mother worried for her son and she prayed to Arceus to arrange it so that should her son wind up becoming more than human; that he'd have someone to love him and be with him forever, in ways neither she nor Red could really do and in ways a Pokemon was not allowed to do without being euthanized and her son locked up in prison. She hoped the God Pokemon could somehow hear her prayers, but even she never could have imagined that the Alpha legend was watching over her right now, in a white, omni-locked, Celestial hall expanding infinitely in omni-directions...

XXXXX

_Hall of Origin: Six Months into Delia's Pregnancy_

In a place existing outside of everything, a seemingly infinite distance away from the pregnant mother of an extraordinary little boy; an equine being stood on all fours gazing into a holographic projection it made itself... of a young woman with brown hair and eyes by the name of Delia Ketchum, the very same woman whom the universe had chosen to mother the child who would become known to all in the Omnisphere as the nine hundred and ninety nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety ninth incarnation of Ash Ketchum in the Ultra-Verse, or Ash Ketchum 9 by 6 for short. Arceus had set this child's destiny in motion since before time itself began to spin for the first time in his universe, along with two others who would play an essential three-way role with the first as the Chosen Champions of Arceus 9 by 6; a trio of omnipotent beings like and yet not like their incarnations from the 1 millionth universe.

Despite their similar histories, Arceus knew the two universes were wholly separate; rather than a partially separate, alternate future of the same universe, these two were immediately divergent upon their respective creations at the hands of their respective Arceus's. Any parallels that existed between them after that point were completely coincidental, and as an almighty God, Arceus perfectly understood the value of coincidence and of fate and knew them to be real; also knowing that there was no science to them, no way to plan for them accordingly. This was a fact that one Delia Ketchum would become all too familiar with as time wore on and her son was born.

With two of the Chosen Ones' births imminent and all the omnipotence in the Omnisphere safely tucked away within their avatars' boundless inner worlds, Arceus figured it was also probably the appropriate time to summon the first of every legendary Pokemon to his midst; including the Mewtwo that a certain contact of his on earth, one Fredrick Ketchum, had managed to befriend and earn the trust of. As the current sitting world champion, Red was the perfect candidate to act as a mediator between the humans and the legendary Pokemon; hell his fellow humans considered him to be a god by their standards, and as the world champion he was pretty much the head of world security on the human's end. It was with a hint of irony that the Omnisphere's supreme and most abstract entity of fate, the Source entity of Destiny, chose Fredrick (Red) Ketchum to be the one with a son destined for greatness, not completely unexpected considering the kind of parenting the child could receive from the most powerful man in the 9 by 6 universe and his lovely wife Delia. Truly Arceus could not have asked for better parents or a brighter light to guide his Chosen Champion, knowing that Serena Yvonne was technically destined to be the first one born but Ash was the guiding force behind the trio, rather like the Father was always the first one named out of the three aspects of the Monotheistic Deity's nature.

The three of them would become omnipotent in every sense and aspect, and master the art of Pokemon battling, contests, and the likes on an equally eternal level; their influence and power would in time reach far beyond earth and their names would resound through the Ultra-Verse and eventually the entire Omega Omnisphere itself. These grand destinies were set in motion via a combination of Arceus's own infinite will and the Omnisphere's ultimate abstract Entity of Fate guiding the universe into a time where the Chosen Ones were needed the most. And needed they absolutely were at this crucial moment, for an omnimalevolent force that had long since vanished off the grid of the Omnisphere itself has awakened from its eternal slumber to complete what it began eons ago. The 999, 999th incarnation of Omninoir was back, and with his return came the potential boundless elimination of all things in the totality of the Omnisphere.

If there was ever a time for the supreme Entity of Fate to act, now was the moment and act she did it seemed. Arceus had chosen well when he decided to hand the matter over to her; she was an expert at governing destinies that were grand enough to affect the entire Omnisphere itself, and in time Arceus knew that Ash Ketchum, Serena Yvonne, and Amber Valentino would go on to accomplish wonders and achieve unlimited miracles. He looked forward to seeing how everything played out, knowing that even with his nigh omniscience and omni perception and awareness he couldn't predict everything that was about to unfold; that made it both exciting and nerve wracking, but then again Arceus knew that the uncertainty and fear of the unknown was part of what made life so much richer and more meaningful. Delia was right in her line of thinking, the humans really didn't know how lucky they were and Arceus knew that his Chosen Ones were going to have dark and difficult times ahead, including the difficulty in finding meaning to their eternal life, but that was just for starters. Assuming they succeeded in their ultimate mission, and that was a pretty damn big if, Arceus had no way of knowing for absolute certain which path and which future they would ultimately choose, and he knew there were a lot of potential futures and possible expressions the 9 by 6 universe and it's predestined leaders could take on.

After musing for a bit, Arceus let out a deep, infinitely loud roar that resounded with omnipresence and shook the entire Omniverse by its very foundations, calling forth the legends of his universe, no matter where in Omniversal space-time they may have been or even if they had been hiding away in some omni-locked location like the 9 by 6 universe's version of the metaphysical heaven and hell; the latter of which was accessible only to Giratina and only when in the reverse world, they would hear the summoning and answer the call. Arceus had assigned each and every first legendary Pokemon to protect a certain aspect of the 9 by 6 Pokemon universe, including the metaphysical realms of hell and heaven themselves, both of which had absolute storage space and a grand total of 7 levels overall, the seventh of which contained the most wicked/purest souls respectively, souls that were transformed into angelic deities and demonic gods and whom presided over their own versions of paradise and even their own totalities, a feat Arceus prized itself for since it had essentially created a prison that none of the damned, pure evil souls would ever want to leave while at the same time designing heaven in such a way where the all-powerful celestial beings that resided in its 7th layer were at peace forever more and eternally in bliss and happiness.

Of course, the 7th heaven and 7th plain of hell didn't always have to give the souls taking up residence inside of them absolute, omnipotent demonic or angelic powers. That was just a bonus feature for anyone who wanted their own Omega Omnisphere to play in and preside over as either a benevolent god or rule as a tyrannical Anti-Godlike demon; the totalities they ruled over only as real as they believed it to be and completely out of sync with the actual Omnisphere.

Giratina was assigned to guarding the realm of hell and all its 7 layers, the gateway to which lay only in Giratina's own realm; the reverse world which Arceus had created to contain the Antimatter Pokemon while Omninoir was driving it to violent aggression. Since purging Omninoir from its system, Giratina had become much more docile and decided to stay in the Reverse world to ensure the omnipotent demonic gods of the metaphysical Hell's seventh level never broke free and wreaked omnipotent destruction upon the world. This was something that made it question Arceus's decision to entrust that much power to the souls of the damned in their own realm. Arceus had promised his creation trio member that the demonic gods would only possess that kind of power so long as they stayed within their hellish versions of the Omnisphere, another feature it prized itself for because that would give the omnimalevolent, absolutely corrupted souls of the 9 by 6 universe even more incentive to stay in their little playgrounds.

As for the realm of heaven, Arceus itself oversaw its protection and the actual physical gateway to it lay in the Hall of Origin itself; a gateway that was omni-locked but could still be forcefully entered by anyone with absolute powers of access, the omnipotent Arceus himself and many others in totality included on that list. Meanwhile, Palkia presided over omniversal space and Dialga over omni-temporal conventions, in simpler terms infinite timelines and infinite points in space throughout the omniverse as a whole but mostly just in the 9 by 6 universe alone. Though the range and scope of their powers expanded to encompass the entire omniverse and by extension the Omnisphere as a whole, they usually tended to think much smaller than that and just stayed in their own extra-dimensional, transcendent realms that were inaccessible to anybody but them, omnipotent beings, or nigh omnipotent beings on a truly enormous scale.

Mesprit herself presided over the entire Omniversal emotional spectrum, whereas Uxie embodied omniscience and was the only user of full omniscience in the Pokemon universe; surpassing even Arceus himself and knowing literally absolutely everything about anything in the Omnisphere. She possessed perfect knowledge about everything and no more knowledge in any one subject than any other. Azelf embodied the very concept of infinite will, possessing the literal Will of God and presenting that willpower to humans in limited quantities, well most humans anyways. Some... like the Chosen Ones would possess these qualities at absolute levels though that power among many others would lie dormant inside of them. Until the time was most ripe, the full scale of their abilities would remain deeper down... unaccessed. There would be boundless inner worlds deep within them; ones which would manifest their omnipotent powers in any and all situations that threatened their lives and that would act in their best interests and subtly fulfill their every desire and achieve boundless miracles. Ash himself would tap his unlimited powers of the mind or psycho-omnipotence fairly early on though, if what Arceus had foreseen in the omni-chrono continuum proved to be authentic.

The major point was that Arceus would need to convey to each of the legends that the Chosen Champions of the 9 by 6 Pokemon universe were about to be born; though he suspected a great many of them would already know this fact, Uxie and the legendary Blue Mew who predated creation itself being two of them. Dialga probably would too due to its connection to omni-dimensional time and its ability to see the omni-temporal continuum of the entire Omnisphere. Mere seconds following Arceus's omnipresent summoning call, many of the legends had begun to manifest inside of the grandest of halls; the endless white space providing infinite sanctuary to an infinite number of beings and existing outside of everything as well. Whilst here, any and all inhabitants of the Pokemon universe could stay in this place forever and never die of any cause, while the rest of the world outside withered away and crumbled into dust.

Arceus noted that Dialga was one of the first ones there, along with the first Celebi who had been born right at the beginning of time and was a level infinity member of her species, gaining omni-time manipulation powers on the same level as Dialga himself and thus always just as on time as the lord of time himself; though to Dialga's great relief she was only interested in being a time traveler and not usurping his throne as the god of time itself. The two of them had an interesting partnership and worked together to preserve the infinite timelines across infinite universes and realities. Arceus didn't have to be a genius to sense that there was some romantic tension between the two of them, and if not for Dialga's ongoing crush on his rather playful and uncommitted lieutenant the Blue Mew or for the rather noticeable difference in size, Arceus knew those two would probably had gotten together a long time ago and given whom he was referring to, laughed inwardly at his own time pun.

Of course, all legendary Pokemon retained within them the power to shift into human forms and even completely control their existence in such a way as to change their size from smaller than the tiniest particle enabling them to disappear into the subatomic omniverse, to big enough to encompass an infinite amount of space; so he knew that size was not really an issue if the first of his universe's Celebi and Dialga wanted to work a relationship out. But of course those two were too stubborn to admit their feelings, and looking at the size difference between them made for a rather comical mental image when considering something as simple as a physical relationship. Not that it really mattered though, Arceus knew there were species of spider who managed to mate despite the female being about one thousand times the size of the male, which essentially meant he was pretty much microscopic by comparison; yet somehow nature found a way to make it work. Relationships between legendary Pokemon, even ones of different species and of completely different sizes and shapes, was completely natural in the Ultra-Verse's infinite Pokemon worlds, but he supposed he was digressing now and the original point of this train of thought was to commend Celebi and Dialga for once again proving to be the most punctual and... pardon the pun, but on time of all the legendary Pokemon.

' _We got your message and came as soon as we could my Lord Arceus_ ,' Celebi telepathed, her sweet, innocent voice echoing soothingly in Arceus's infinitely vast mindscape. The Alpha Pokemon chuckled gently at Celebi's still childish tendencies and efforts to please him despite the fact that travelling throughout the myriad paths of infinity for an infinite number of lifetimes had made her older technically than he was; if one counted the number of years she had accumulated during each jump into the dimensional wormholes she created connecting her time to infinite times in infinite universes. She was perhaps one of his most well behaved children, never getting into fights and only really causing harmless mischief and pulling pranks throughout countless different points in history. She would disappear with stuff she knew would one day become important historical artefacts or that were priceless; always returning them the next day and baffling people's minds. She would also trap certain points in history in a seemingly infinite time loop and make everyone within that loop fully aware of the repetition and yet unable to stop it; only ceasing the time loop when said people within it said the magic word, AKA please. It was childish, harmless fun for the most part; but a lot of the humans didn't like Celebi's particular brand of humor, not that it stopped her and at least Dialga got a kick out of it.

' _I am sure you did my child, now I trust you both know why I have summoned you here today while we wait for the rest_ ,' Arceus commented kindly at the little girl as they anxiously awaited the arrival of all of the original legends of the 9 by 6 universe, some of them having mated with each other, with non legends, or even with humans and having descendents of their own and yet only the originals of each and every legend were members of the Legendary Pokemon Supreme Council. Lugia had done it with a female member of his own species that Arceus had created when the guardian of the seas pleaded with him to create a female of his own species, a plea Arceus couldn't bring himself to deny, having always been an omnibenevolent God and not wanting any of his children to suffer or to be alone.

Mews did it all the time, mating and reproducing asexually, with lesser Pokemon, or with members of their own kind to create more Mews or hexa perfect babies of the non legendary Pokemon parent, either way Mew were the ultimate progenitors, primogenitors, and nearly all other kinds of genitors all at once. Yet despite creating several of her kind in an effort to spread her infinite gene pool across the world, the Blue Mew had never actually mated with any of them herself and still had yet to obtain her mating marks; a trait she, the original Arceus, the Creation Trio, and several others still shared even now. Of course, Arceus wasn't opposed to spreading his genes or his species either, he just wasn't interested in doing so with a mate of his own creation and thus created a child, a daughter for him to raise from an egg and whom had been seemingly betrayed by a man she befriended on earth named Damos. She had entrusted several of her life plates to the man on the promise that he would someday return them to her, but he never did. Of course, this was all meant to happen, but father Arceus decided it was best if his daughter and kin discovered her role in the universe and Damos' true intentions for herself. He had also created another, younger child; a son with the same carefree, ' _I can watch the Omnisphere itself burn and not give a fuck_ ' attitude as his lieutenant the Blue Mew herself prized.

All and all though, many of the legends had spread their genes or had spent countless eons spawning perfect Pokemon the likes of which only the human race's newly developed infinity energy based technology could sense the potential of. Arceus had actually intended for a hexa perfect individual of every species of Pokemon in existence to end up befriending his Chosen Champions, a fact he had yet to break to his fellow original legends for even they may end up finally choosing a trainer to not only take over their respective duties to the universe, but also to entrust their complete and utter faith to. As the primary member of the three Chosen Champions, Ash would most likely be the one to capture all the original legends, though Arceus suspected that both Amber and Serena would capture at least one of every legendary species as well, a feat that would enable them to take their entire world by storm in ways even the world champion Red never could.

' _I know what this is about Father Arceus, but as to why you picked that goofy oaf Mew to watch over them, I'll never know, even if she is the most beautiful_...' Dialga gushed, the draconic Pokemon's dinosaur-like face taking on a slight blush as Celebi instantly overshot him, her face reddening to but not out of lust or physical attraction but anger, jealousy, and spite. ' _What Dialga means Father, is that we have known for some time that the universe is planning to give rise to the Chosen Champions you have selected. I do agree with Dialga though, are you absolutely certain our little blue kitten is up to the job_ ,' Celebi hissed, using the word kitten like it was to describe the most hideous example of a baby cat in the entire Omniverse.

Arceus sighed upon sensing the drama and angst unfold, Dialga immediately getting defensive of the blue angel who had stolen his heart and Celebi immediately jumping down his throat for getting all protective of his love interest. It was all old news in Arceus's own opinion, Dialga and Palkia had been fighting over Mew for eons, in fact the whole idea of one of them being able to mate her is what set them off in the first place and what forced Arceus to separate them and their respective realms with an impenetrable, omni-locked dimensional barrier. Their fights over Mew had gotten a little too out of hand and both Dialga and Palkia seemed unable to look past their mutual attraction of the completely indifferent Mew in favor of the likes of Celebi, who had legitimately come to love Dialga. Of course they were too thick headed to notice. Ironic really, that for all of Dialga's omni-chrono perception and his ability to see infinite timelines and infinite futures, he couldn't even see what was right in front of him or the fact that the most powerful of all the Celebi in the 9 by 6 universe was totally into him. Arceus supposed that love could oftentimes be cruel and a fickle thing, hell knows that the Omnisphere's supreme abstract entity of love could be entirely unpredictable, his omnipotent godhood giving him insight into all the Omnisphere's most powerful fundamental forces and all its omnipotent Source entities that controlled the abstract notions and concepts of totality on an omnipresent, almighty level.

Hell Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, and the Lake Trio were embodiments of certain universal concepts but enhanced to an omniversal level; and only the likes of the Omnisphere's Source entities of their respective concepts surpassed their level of mastery over space, time, antimatter, emotions, etc. Mesprit was more than likely at least indirectly responsible for the heated, passionate argument the two legendary Pokemon in front of him were having, though in the Omnisphere literally any omniversal entity of love could have been responsible for this; there really was no way to know for sure. Arceus was brought out of his shockingly deep and highly detailed reverie by more of the first of each legendary Pokemon manifesting in the Hall of Origin, and he decided that for the time being he'd stop thinking over his infinite awareness of everything in existence. The last thing he wanted was to develop a migraine of omniversal proportions; too much thinking, especially inside the landscape of a virtually all-knowing, all-seeing, infinite mind, could lead to problems of an equal level of severity to what such a mind is capable of.

" _Ah Palkia, good to see you, and Giratina, what a surprise to see you here so soon after my first call of summoning_ ," Arceus pleasantly greeted in a perfectly human tongue, which surprised none of his fellow legends in the slightest; Palkia merely snorted out through his nose, letting loose a stream of draconian fire in the process. ' _Kind of hard not to respond when you're making all that infernal racket, and I say that with the greatest respect father_ ,' Palkia replied sarcastically, acting more like a rebellious teenager if Arceus were to think of them in the same way as a father thinks of his children, but alas this was perhaps one of the stranger families the omniverse has seen; though definitely not the strangest and certainly not one of the more fucked up, dysfunctional families he had envisioned in his all-powerful, all-seeing mental presence.

In the time it took for Arceus to simply shrug off Palkia's rather rude response a lot of the other first legends had already shown up. Victini, the dragon trio of Unova including Kyurem, the storm trio from Unova, the beast trio from Johto, the legendary bird trio from the Orange Islands from where all members of their species came, and even the Weather Trio from Hoenn as well as Lugia and Ho-Oh all showed up in multiple flashes of light. Arceus knew that they weren't really here in the flesh, merely projecting their astral bodies and sending them to the Hall of Origin to hear what the God of Pokemon had to say, standard Supreme Legendary Council procedure of course, though some of the legends did show up in person, Celebi, the Creation Trio, and the Blue Mew being one of them.

' _Father, am I to assume that this call of summons is what I think it is_?' Mew giggled cutely, and Arceus nodded as she flew around excitedly while some of the other legends understood and their eyes widened and others merely gazed at their Father in confusion. While Mew was performing acrobatic dances in midair, Arceus took a moment to wait and exchange pleasantries with all whom had showed up thus far while waiting for the others to arrive. Most of them probably assumed Arceus was looking for a status report like usual, so he suspected they would be truly surprised when that didn't turn out to be the case.

' _Ooh, I'm excited, I wonder what this is about_ ,' Victini whispered telepathically, her voice saturated with infinite energy as she tirelessly danced about the Hall of Origin's meeting room. Due to possessing limitless stamina, infinite energy, and the power to augment any and all super powers and abilities to almighty, absolute levels, Victini was a high energy girl who would attend parties late at night in human form. She would dance for hours and never tire, enhancing the human and/or Pokemon partiers' energy levels temporarily so they could keep up with her; and was just all around an inexhaustible girl with infinite energy all around. She loved to party, to play sports with the many humans across the world; to gatecrash Christmas parties and other such parties and dazzle the men there with her high energy and innocent beauty. Sometimes she would party a little too hard and would oftentimes mate with one of the Pokemon living there; though because there were laws against Pokephilea which would lock away the nice boys she danced with should her true nature ever be revealed, she opted not to hook up with any of them and especially not to mate with them, even if she had been tempted many times over the years. Her human disguise had never once been found out and she would always just up and vanish sometime during the night; earning her the respectable title of the phantom party girl among the many townsfolk she played with.

On top of all that, Victini had a rather interesting habit of using her unlimited power augmentation and her absolute victory bestowment abilities to help out nice people who were in a tight spot or faced with overwhelming odds; such as when somebody was outnumbered by members of a gang and needed that extra little dash of victory and empowerment to get themselves out. She had a bit of a hero complex and was prone to using her gifts to boundlessly empower a trainer's Pokemon in order to help them get said trainer out of a potentially life threatening situation. She knew her powers could be seriously misused to create vast armies of unstoppable, level infinity Pokemon and knew the dangers to herself full hand; but she helped the innocent and the weak nevertheless by ensuring victory for them over what should have been unbeatable odds. She was energetic, compassionate, and kind; but also quite shy about revealing her true form to humans, and while she had mated with everyday normal Pokemon to give birth to hexa perfect members of their species she herself had yet to have any children of her own. She was one of the youngest of Arceus's children and fellow legends, and one of his most innocent.

' _You'll find out soon Victory, I don't know what's happening either but I'm just as excited as you are_ ,' Meloetta promised her, the two of them laughing and giggling with gleeful anticipation as Arceus paid attention to each legendary interaction by themselves and all of them at once at the same time. He waited patiently while some of them exchanged pleasantries or even flexed their muscles at each other or brought each other up to speed on what they've been up to or what new hobbies they'd taken up. Meloetta and Victini maintained a really close, sisterly relationship and some of the relations between the legends were often familial or even romantic, but Arceus knew that for some of them; there were ancient rivalries and old feuds being acted out right now as was demonstrated by Dialga and Palkia once they became aware of each other's presence. Giratina was trying to act as a mediator between them; but her efforts were all for naught as they got right in each other's' faces and Celebi merely sweat dropped at the whole thing.

Groudon and Kyogre were likewise glaring at each other, and only the godlike, overwhelming, and dangerously calm presence of the first Rayquaza, who was over 4 billion years old and level infinity, bearing over them kept them in line. The primordial gods of the seas and the earth had lost most of their power when their ability to achieve primal reversion was sealed away within two omnipotent relics called the Red and Blue Orbs; but all Rayquaza need do was undergo mega evolution to effortlessly curb stomp them at this point, and with its Mikado organ over-saturated with an endless supply of mega evolution energy it could mega evolve at his leisure.

The same could not be said for Giratina, whom had transferred all of her unlimited mega evolution energy into her precious Griseous orb which she had also sealed away for safekeeping; to keep Omninoir from taking advantage of her mega evolved form and the omnipotence it once possessed. Due to her nature Giratina was much more prone to absolute corruption than most of the other legends; and even though she was omnipotent in her mega form Omninoir was a master of absolute corruption, and what could possibly be more corrupting than ultimate power? Arceus wasn't sure but he dreaded the answer to that question, as it was though Giratina could only retain her origin form in the Reverse world now; she couldn't use her all-powerful mega evolved form at all due to her orb being sealed away in an omni-locked portion of the Reverse World.

Same situation for Dialga and Palkia; they gave up their omnipotence via sealing their primal reversion powers in the Adamant and Lustrous orbs, which were buried deep beneath the earth during the primordial ages of the Sinnoh region, long before mankind had ever walked the earth. They could still manipulate space, time, and Antimatter in all universes, realities, and omni-dimensions respectively, and all of them possessed dragon god powers whereas Giratina also possessed the powers of a spectral entity of enormous power. But the truth was they were shadows of their former selves; though that didn't seem to stop the lords of time and space from shouting all manner of profanity at each other and just basically talking smack or as the humans would so crudely put it... _measuring dicks_.

' _Honestly you guys, we're in the Hall or Origin and Arceus is about to tell us something of great importance, so stop the cursing and the arguing for once please_ ,' Celebi pleaded both gently and firmly as she fluttered between the two deities of omni-dimensional space and time. The difference in size between her and the two of them was absolutely laughable, but both Dialga and Palkia seemed to deflate and sober up in her presence as they caught sight of her adorable pure blue eyes flickering with a dazzling gleam as she stood as a mediator between them much like Giratina herself was doing.

Dialga was the first to recover as he looked across from him at his lifelong rival, ' _we'll settle this another time Palkia, right now something of great importance has been brought to several of our attention and Arceus wishes to bring some rather interesting news to light for those of us with no amount of foreknowledge or insight into the future or who can't sense what is happening from those of us who know by reading our thoughts and emotions_ ,' Dialga mentioned matter-of-factly as both he and Palkia merely sighed and came to a reluctant agreement to settle their eons old dispute at another time.

' _Very well but don't think this changes anything, because as far as I'm concerned... nothing is forgiven. Too long have we both had our eyes on the same potential mate, and for too long have you attempted to redirect her attention from me_ ,' Palkia growled; a dangerous edge to his voice, like an omniverse sized volcano about to erupt. Dialga wasn't intimidated in the slightest, but at least he and Palkia finally agreed on something; there age old feud was far from finished. And whether the futuristic visions he had seen were true or not and whether Mew never even acknowledged his and Palkia's feelings and instead fell in love with the primary Chosen One like he had foreseen, he would continue to fight for her; hoping beyond hope that somehow the future he had seen was not some eternally fixed point in the Omega Omnisphere's collective history.

Somewhere to his approximate right Mew was contemplating her own hurricane of thoughts and emotions; knowing somehow that her new mission to look out for the Chosen One would prove to be a monumental task. Arceus had entrusted her and her alone with so much responsibility, something she couldn't really approve of; a life with responsibilities had its merits she supposed but her species embodied an existence that rendered her ' _destined to live forever with all the power in totality, without any care in it whatsoever_ '. She had been proud of her carefree and totally indifferent nature, and knew better than most that absolute power could often result in eternally casual indifference to everything; even things that threatened the very totality of existence itself. But now Arceus was burdening her with a glorious purpose, and all she wanted to do was play and continue to pull pranks on the many humans and Pokemon alike who wasted time marveling at her powers; wanting to capture her and obtain her powers for themselves, never really believing it was a fruitless endeavor and that no amount of technology, even those freakish master balls they were creating, could ever contain her against her will.

Now though, she was assigned the momentous task of watching over Ash Ketchum and by extension the two girls he was destined to meet and become soul mates with. Even now she could sense their souls resonating with each other's from their mothers' wombs. Amber herself had only just been fertilized and procreated in her mother's womb not even a few days ago, and yet her fetus was brimming with its own boundless inner world and infinite potential to change the entire world at its very foundations. This kind of task should have been assigned to task masters like Celebi or even Arceus himself, not to fun loving, absolutely carefree deities like her. In spite of all that she was and what she embodied, she was somewhat worried she wasn't the legendary Pokemon for the job and yet Arceus kept insisting her destiny was meant to intertwine with those of the Chosen Ones and Ash in particular. Arceus was very adamant about including her in his schemes, and she wasn't really one to deny her surrogate father much of anything, even if what he was asking from her went against everything she stood for, every abstract notion she personified.

' _Anyways, if I might interrupt some of my fellow legendary council members and ask the same question that is on all our minds; what exactly is this about Lord Arceus_?" Mewtwo queried telepathically, and Mew's attention was ripped away from her own musings as was every other legend pulled out of whatever they were doing upon hearing Red's Mewtwo's gentle but insanely powerful and majestic sounding mental voice. Mew knew he wasn't directly related to her since there were thousands of her kind in the world that he could have been cloned from, plus had he been cloned directly from her he most certainly would've inherited the shiny gene, and yet here he was in his classical look.

If there was ever a living being in the entire Pokemon world whom was the perfect blend of both human and legendary Pokemon, he was it; he embodied the best of both the human realm and of the world of omnipotent legendary Pokemon, and Mew knew she would probably never find a better match for her in a potential mating partner. Yet like all the other Pokemon who had attempted to court her into an eventual mating, she just couldn't muster up any romantic feelings for any of them. She knew there were probably other legendary Pokemon who desired her hand as their mate and to brand their own mating marks on her; but she just couldn't see herself in any sort of long term, monogamous relationship, she was too playful, too fun loving, and oftentimes to provocative and flirtatious to be tied down in such a bond as the kind that an actual set of mating marks would result in.

At that point, all of the attention shifted towards Arceus as Mewtwo's psycho-omnipotence seemed to take a hold of them all and mentally steered the direction of all conversations to where it needed to be. Arceus cleared his throat as he addressed his fellow legends at last, carrying on even as Richard Yvonne's Diancie, Hoopa, and Volcanion materialized in the infinite white space of the legendary supreme council's meeting room; followed swiftly by Xerneas, Yveltal, and Zygarde who stood in its fifty percent form despite having at least six, including its three mega evolved forms, each of which bestowed it with a certain kind of omnipotent superpower.

' _Thank you all for coming, I welcome you all to the Hall of Origin once again and as usual I expect there to be no fights breaking out while you are all here. I will not have cataclysm or bloodshed in my domain; all ongoing feuds are to temporarily ceasefire while you all walk my lofty halls, and I make it very clear that this is a neutral territory to any and all warring legendary Pokemon who cannot seem to make amends. Do I make myself clear_?!' Arceus started off as all the legends nodded in acceptance, having come to accept this place exactly as their Father and Creator described it long ago. At this point it was only a formality that Arceus kept reminding them of this fact and they nodded once more; all of them equally curious as to what this was all about or what their Father had summoned them here for.

' _Now, before I tell you all what has been brought to my attention I shall take this opportunity to receive a status report from each and every one of you_ ,' Arceus said once again and instructed the legends to report in order from Kanto to Kalos. Zapdos spoke up for the legendary birds that were born on the islands of fire, ice, and lightning, having recently flown over the Kanto region and deciding to clear up some things that had been brought to his attention. ' _My lord Arceus, I have taken it upon myself to oversee the Kanto region and its inhabitants from time to time; and aside from the criminal actions of a human gang known as Team Rocket, I've very little to report aside from the fact that these cretins are once again active in both Kanto and Johto, just as they were in Red's era. I'm sure the World Champion of the human realm would like to know this_ ,' Zapdos reported, casting Mewtwo a wary glance as the catlike Pokemon nodded and Mew herself frowned.

Those foolish humans had been hunting her kind for decades, even following Doctor Fuji's original work to clone another Mewtwo; only this time their knowledge in the field of cloning was greatly increased and they no longer needed a living specimen to give birth to the clone this time. Doctor Fuji had been a kind scientist, and politely requested a Mew's help in birthing a human-Mew hybrid to represent the best of both worlds and hopefully to bridge the gap between humans and legendary Pokemon forever more. That had been his dream, and he had been one of the few humans who was open minded enough to readily accept the idea of Pokephilea and human-Pokemon relations. He had to pay an arm and a leg to hire suitable suitors for Mew in order to quietly circumvent the laws against Pokephilea and of course the opportunity to birth a human-Mew hybrid was one many people would not want to pass up.

Granted, finding people with strong genes to mate with the fully trained Mew to create this demigod of sorts was not easy, and the end result had been more Pokemon than human; but Fuji had finally created a clone with a stable genetic sequence and everything. As far as Mew was concerned, job done, and Mewtwo had been readily accepted as one of the fellow legends even if his human genome was much more prominent than it was in most Mew; Fuji meanwhile had retired to a small town on Kanto's Eastern coast known as Lavender town, a place where people go to mourn the dead or accept the possibility of a life after death.

As she thought about this; Lugia and Ho-Oh picked up where Zapdos left off, deciding to fill Arceus in on Johto and the Orange Islands. ' _Pretty much the same in Johto Father, humans and Pokemon have been cooperating better recently and even Ho-Oh has been considering returning to the mortal world; but strife and chaos are still present at times and I've no doubt that the vast majority of humans would still capture and misuse our power if given the chance. As Zapdos said Team Rocket is once again active and it seems it's leader Giovanni is back on his throne and stronger than ever, with a team of level infinity ground types thanks to those technologies the humans have developed for sensing the perfect Pokemon that were bred by wild Pokemon mating with some of us. I actually have a family of my own to look after; my wife and a baby Lugia I named Silver. The last thing I want is for them to come into harm's way but no matter how bad some humans are I believe that their capacity for goodness and for hope far surpasses their capacity for violence and destruction_ ,' Lugia announced to Arceus and all the legends at large, most of them agreeing.

Even Ho-Oh with all of her complete awareness of infinite timelines and her ability to sense every possible future, nodded in accord with her oldest friend's statement. She herself had no mates or children of her own to look after and she couldn't help feeling a little envious of Lugia since he had gotten Arceus to create a mate for him; something she was still working up the courage to ask for. Then again, she would have rather found a mate that was already living and had a choice in the matter rather than ask Arceus to create a being specifically designed to be her soul mate. She would have taken Lugia himself if that had been an option, but for all of her foresight she had been too slow to admit her feelings for him, and now he had a wife and a child of his own and was perfectly happy and content with his life. Despite her envy, she was truly, genuinely happy that he was so happy; it gave her hope that there was someone for everyone, even a washed out old rainbow bird like her.

' _I don't have much to add to Lugia's original statement, but I have foreseen things; both good and bad, and while the humans are susceptible to this ultimate darkness we are too, ultimately I believe that we as legendary beings are no better and no worse than the humans are. I truly believe that when push comes to shove they will do the right thing; kind of like we are all doing the right thing by coming together for this meeting despite any issues that may exist between some of us. Forever united, never we shall fall, so long as believe in ourselves and in each other I believe that we will have a fighting chance against this thing_ ,' Ho-Oh admitted as Arceus smiled in obvious approval, glad to know that Ho-Oh and Lugia were allowing themselves to see the glass as half full and not half empty.

Groudon and Kyogre didn't have anything current or recent to contribute due to being in a deep sleep in their bodies back in their respective territories in Hoenn; it was only because Arceus summoned them that their astral bodies appeared at all but they were still pretty drowsy looking which would probably explain why they weren't fighting as much as they usually did. Rayquaza sighed in irritation and decided to report instead; realizing it was his job as the dominant Hoenn legend to do so even though Deoxys and Jirachi were there too as well as the Regi trio. Aside from Deoxys, which Rayquaza had long since had an ongoing friendly rivalry with; none of the other legends could really contend with the Sky High Pokemon, the very Pokemon who danced in the heavens and was giving off a boundless brilliance of power and Celestial lights.

' _Father Arceus, I guess I am the one who will give the reports on the goings on across Hoenn. Crime rates are at an all time low, though I sense a deep collective breath in the winds that only happens before a potentially world breaking storm; danger is imminent, I don't know when it will happen or how but something foul is afoot in the Hoenn region. Anyways, the Draconids are active once more and their new chosen one is named Zinnia; she is being trained to prevent a cataclysm that is written in the stars and the impending doom of another meteoroid on a collision course with earth. It is many years away but I can sense an almighty alien presence steering it towards our planet earth; it may be another Deoxys_ ,' Rayquaza proclaimed, gazing hesitantly at said Pokemon floating beside him as though nervous he might have offended the alien god, but to his relief Deoxys merely shrugged his four tentacle-like arms with indifference. ' _I don't really care dude, it could very well be another one of my kind; my only concern is that it could be something even worse_ ,' Deoxys admitted as Rayquaza and even Groudon and Kyogre agreed.

Arceus quickly insisted that they deal with the impending apocalyptic rock when it was a more immediate threat; because right now there were bigger concerns. The Weather Trio and the other Hoenn legends agreed with this and allowed the various Sinnoh legends to update as well. Darkrai was the first one to start. ' _I've recently taken up residence in a peaceful little town called Alamos, but I've seen enough of the Sinnoh region in all my countless millennia to know that an impending storm of disaster is on the horizon, much like Rayquaza described in Hoenn. I can assure you though, Alamos town is my home and I will do everything I can to protect it and by extension the entire Sinnoh region_ ,' it proclaimed determinedly as Cresselia smiled at him in agreement. For Pokemon that were supposed to be arch rivals and natural enemies, they got along pretty well, perfectly understanding the yin and yang of their dualistic, symbiotic relationship.

Mesprit spoke up next; deciding that she couldn't wait anymore to say her piece and wanting to skip right ahead to when Arceus told them the juicy details of what he discovered. Her own deep rooted connection to the Omniversal emotional spectrum endowed her with infinitely intense emotions of any and all kinds, but right now her most dominant emotion was excitement and eagerness. This absolute anticipation was driving her completely bonkers, so much that she couldn't stand it anymore and wanted these formalities out of the way and done with. _'Humans are as emotional as ever I suppose; the capacity for genuine romantic love is at an all-time low though and that makes me really sad. More and more people are basing their relationships off of lust, physical attraction, money, wealth, power, and the like and fewer and fewer people are marrying just for love and not for convenience. Soul bonds between humans are almost nonexistent now; though I can say that for those of their kind that have formed soul bonds in recent years, the love between them is as strong if not stronger than ever. I'm getting all giddy inside just feeling the obvious love these people have for each other, even if they are few and far in between in our world there is a whole Omniverse of true, genuine lovers out there and... My God I'm tearing up just being connected to it all_...' Mesprit's voice broke off as her entire pixie-like body broke out into a full body blush and she started stuttering and tripping over her own words in a giddy sigh of contented pleasure, tears of almighty, infinitely intense joy gracefully falling down her adorable, beautiful face.

' _You always were a hopeless romantic Mesprit,_ ' Azelf pointed out, the being of infinite willpower noting that once again their omniscient friend Uxie wasn't contributing anything to their ongoing report. She had never been one for words especially when giving her opinion on something could be an invitation for rebuttal. Being omniscient meant she was eternally infallible, absolutely incapable of any errors in her judgement, knowledge, and wisdom whatsoever; yet people would question whether or not she actually spoke with such flawless infallibility so she was eternally mute ever since the day she was born. Not that Azelf minded; he had the distinct feeling he didn't want to be around the day she said a word because that would be a sign of the Omniverse undergoing extinction. Not to mention she didn't have any sense of self or individuality from all the beings and knowledge of the Omega Omnisphere; so maybe she couldn't really speak as an individual life form anyways.

Dialga sighed upon realizing that it was his and Palkia's turn; Celebi giving him an encouraging nod as he addressed the crowd of legends. ' _Normally I would say that I have nothing to contribute due to being in my own dimension for so many years; but quite frankly the Sinnoh region is about to face a time of great crisis and while my foreknowledge of these events is impressive it is also incomplete. I caution you all, even you Father Arceus, to not take my words lightly; for the events that will transpire in Sinnoh will affect each and every one of us, not necessarily all for the better_ ,' Dialga stated, able to sense the dangers presented to them in the future during the time that the Chosen Ones travel through Sinnoh.

Palkia merely snorted upon hearing Dialga's warning and merely said he had very little to contribute aside from somebody mucking about with the fabric of space and causing ripples of distortion to resonate throughout the myriad paths of infinity. Arceus nodded at both of their reports and the rest of the reports from the two remaining regions passed by seemingly unremarkably. The swords of Justice commented on the recent emergence of a special device called the X-Transceiver the humans were developing and using to record their recent adventures on film; something they readily agreed to so long as the people filming them kept their distance and didn't try to capture them. They had recently acquired a new member of the team in the form of a newborn Keldeo; though the spirit of his ancestor and the first member of his kind was there to; present at this meeting just as all the first legends were even though he had never accepted Cobalion's offer to join their team. The first Keldeo was too much of a free spirit and was level infinity as well; meaning he was perfectly able to look after himself but at least he maintained a friendly outgoing personality and only rejected Cobalion's offer 50 percent of the time, simply opting to ignore him the rest of the time, or laugh, or chuckle.

' _Unova has been peaceful for over a thousand years, but Kyurem, Reshiram, and I sense chaos on the horizon. Kyurem however is content with the fact that even in the face of a fate so great as the fate of the world the champion of the universe will have strength enough to save it_ ,' Zekrom reported from the designated area of the Unovan dragon trio, Reshiram and Kyurem nodding in agreement as Arceus smiled. Most of the humans didn't realize that Kyurem wasn't just an empty husk leftover from when the original dragon god of Unova split into three different aspects, he was actually the original dragon himself; only by combining the energies of both Reshiram and Zekrom within him could Kyurem change into his unlimited form. And for the sake of setting suitable goals and challenges for him and the rest of his species to overcome, of which there were two so far in the known 9 by 6 universe, Kyurem decreed that all members of his species throughout this universe attain the powers of their unlimited form only upon reaching a level of infinity; a mechanic that weirdly enough was now one of the many constants throughout the Ultra-Verse and it's alternate version of the Pokemon Multiverse which was infinitely removed from anything even remotely canon or canon based.

Kyurem took it from there, deciding to fill Arceus in on what he had seen of Unova and the world on his end. ' _Like my esteemed fellow legends have pointed out; the entire world itself is holding its breath in loathing anticipation of a great storm, a maelstrom of chaos that will affect things globally and even omniversally; I see a war, the greatest war of our time, with the whole of creation, the Omega Omnisphere itself at stake. I see an uncountable number of shadow Pokemon, a mass outbreak of omnimalevolent legendary Pokemon, all of them the extension of one's own infinite will, all of them merely this being's countless different manifestations of nigh omnipotent power. I see the Chosen Three, along with their comrades and friends from across the Ultra-Verse and even from worlds beyond its borders, battling for the future of the Omniverse, against a being who is evil in its purest, most omnipotent form_.

 _In this battle there is a massive omni-nova steadily detonating the totality of existence, expanding infinitely outward in all directions and consuming everything in its apocalyptic wake; I see that this battle will involve several other major heroes from across the Ultra-Verse, and much of totality will be destroyed. I cannot see however, who the victor will be for that is a question the Omega Omnisphere refuses to yield the answer of to me. Also it would seem this battle is an eternally fixed point in the Omniverse's forever history, but the outcome of the match is not beholden to anything or anyone, it could literally go either way and there is no way to sway the fight either way from our point in time_ ,' He telepathed with a cryptic undertone that spoke volumes of just how horrifying his visions of the future had been, an undertone that had every legend, Giratina, Darkrai, and even Yveltal included, cringing upon hearing Kyurem speak.

Arceus sighed morosely upon hearing this and processing the enormity of Kyurem's futuristic report. ' _It is as I feared my children; a war against the primordial void himself, with the whole of creation at stake. With the Chosen Champions of the universe so close to being born, we're all going to need to be vigilant in the coming days my sons and daughters. For the monumental task of protecting the Chosen Ones until they are ready to embrace their destinies, I have selected Lady Mew here to play the role of an guardian angel of limitless godlike and celestial powers; is there anyone among you who disagrees with my decision?!_ ' Arceus stated authoritatively as pandemonium ensued among the legends who only just realized that not only were the Chosen Champions of Arceus so close to being born, but also that their father and creator had selected the most irresponsible and devil-may care legendary Pokemon to be in charge of the task of protecting them.

For those of them that had any foreknowledge or awareness of why Arceus called them here tonight, the legends such as Dialga, Celebi, Uxie, Kyurem, Ho-Oh, and surprisingly Mesprit were all calm whereas nearly every other Legendary Supreme Council member was currently freaking out in their own unique way. The forces of nature and the very universe itself seemed to respond to each legend's shouts of outrage or even just the level of shock some of them were feeling. The psychic type legendary Pokemon all possessed psycho-omnipotence and thus had some insight into the future thanks to their infinite mindscape, and being of absolute mind and willpower enabled them to keep their cool, well most of them; Mew herself was on the receiving end of a lot of doubt in her abilities and surprisingly envy, envy from legendary Pokemon who wished to take on the task of protecting the Chosen Ones themselves.

Arceus stamped his hoof and a deafening boom of thunder shook the Hall of Origin and the entirety of planet earth as his all-powerful voice of God shouted for silence, and silence immediately ensued as each and every other legendary Pokemon immediately complied; not because they were completely under Arceus's thrall, hell a lot of them were every bit as powerful as their creator depending on their form or their species, but because as their creator and the one who gave them their lives and their powers, Arceus was held in the highest respect. ' _That's better; now please allow me to explain why I have chosen Lady Mew for the task I have just described. As a being with next to no responsibilities I realized she would be the only one of us with any significant amount of time to devote to this one endeavor without it interfering with her usual responsibilities as a legendary Pokemon. No offense my Lady Mew but we both know this to be true, as an impossibly powerful species of legendary Pokemon your kind is destined to have all the power in the Omega Omnisphere without any care in it whatsoever. This is not you or your fellow Mews' fault for I designed your species to be this way; it is actually helpful in times such as these where I might need someone to fall back on for important endeavors when all of my other fellow legends are otherwise preoccupied. Though I never could've imagined being able to choose you for such a glorious task, that my dear child was completely coincidental I can assure you._

 _I know I have never asked much of anything from you before my beautiful daughter and I wouldn't be doing so now if the task at hand wasn't extremely important and a life or death situation for the omniverse as a distinctive whole, but I think my fellow legends will agree with me when I say a life with little to no responsibility will feel empty to you once you've had a taste of protecting something, anything you worked hard to build or to create, or just preserving and protecting the life of someone you are responsible for. Believe me when I say this my little girl, you are like my own daughter and I want you to experience the other side of life, the exact opposite of the life you yourself are accustomed to; who knows you may actually come to enjoy it in time, but until such a time I need you to be as attentive on this matter as you possibly can be. Can I count on you my Lady Mew?_ ' Arceus explained passionately as all the legends who had flipped out on the blue feline grew somewhat sheepish and surprised when Mew adopted an uncharacteristically determined expression, her gorgeous, baby blue eyes shining with a luster never before seen.

' _My Lord Arceus you to are like the Father I've always wanted; I've no experience with any kind of life of responsibilities and have been tied to nothing and no one. Maybe it's the fact that you entrusted this daunting task to me but lately I find myself wanting, no craving something more in my life than what I've had so far. You know as well as anyone that I'm a girl of unlimited means Lord Arceus; I live my life in the intimate knowledge that I can do anything and be anything, that I can command all things in the Omega Omnisphere on an omnipotent level, unless the things commanded are also almighty obviously, but my point is this existence of mine is the ultimate rush, and I guess I just want to have a more constructive outlet in which to channel my limitless power and energy_ ,' Mew admitted with a light blush as some of the legends fainted upon hearing this whereas others, Arceus and surprisingly Celebi, smiled in approval while Mewtwo grinned at his first friend in the Legendary Supreme Council like a maniac, showing his large, needle sharp, carnivorous teeth.

All of the legendary Pokemon were either too shocked to say anything or just happy that Mew had finally found something in life worth being a little responsible for. They figured Arceus was right when he told her that a life without responsibilities would feel empty once she was accustomed to actually being responsible for anything, and they believed that this was the key to her finding something to be truly passionate about. Mew may have been eternally carefree and indifferent, but she was also disinterested and dispassionate about everything as well, and though that never depressed her before they knew this task of protecting the Chosen Ones as some sort of all-powerful guardian angel was going to open up her mind and her heart in ways she could never have imagined before.

Just as each Legendary Supreme Council member contemplated the impending birth of the Chosen Ones and how their presence would affect them all, Arceus's voice rang out once more in response to this very question. ' _My children, we will all have to prepare for the Chosen Champions' arrival in our world; dark and difficult times lie ahead, and given Kyurem's report the situation is even worse than I anticipated, though now I too can sense that this war with the ultimate pinnacle of darkness is truly an eternally fixed point in the Omega Omnisphere itself. In time we will all have to decide between what is right and what it easy, in time we have to decide if we want to remain separated within our respective realms and spheres of control or if we want to unite under the same banner, the same common goal that my Chosen Champions are about to be faced with. I know some of you have sworn that no human will ever capture you, and some of you bear huge responsibilities, but you have to remember the fact that the Chosen Ones are not like other humans and will not misuse your power. We need to be there for them in case they can't defeat this darkness on their own, and trust me my children they will need all the help they can get. In time even I will join the future Pokemon team of Ash Ketchum, who will be the primary member of the Chosen Champions, the first of their holy trinity, I have every hope that you all will too, but ultimately the choice is yours whether or not you choose to trust him with your allegiance_ ,' Arceus proclaimed.

The reaction was instantaneous and Arceus's statement had the desired effect as nearly every legendary council member gasped or choked outright in shock. It was a good thing they hadn't been drinking water because otherwise they would have performed the most spectacular series of spit-takes in all of history which would be eternally cemented in mythology and be talked about forever more. Even the council members who could see the future seemed surprised and impressed by Arceus's proclamation, and Arceus would have smiled physically if he had an actual mouth to do it with, but most of the time he just sent a telepathic image of a smiley face to indicate his happiness with how a situation turned out.

Mew did a few happy dances in midair, surprised by how things had worked out and feeling giddily excited for the soon to be newborn Chosen Ones. She and Arceus had discussed her new responsibilities a couple of months before but ultimately she was glad he explained it to her the way he did now; somehow no matter how sad she was whenever she had nobody to play with her back in ancient times Arceus always knew how to cheer her up. Hell he'd created a female Lugia for her fellow psycho-omnipotent being, and Lugia had been surprised by how willful his mate had been and how much she hated him at first. She had felt angry because the only reason Arceus created her was so she could be forced into an arranged marriage with a male member of her species she might not have even liked; which was a pretty solid argument in Mew's opinion. Arceus had insisted to Lugia that she would come around and worst case scenario they could still be friends at least, and at least he wasn't the only one of his kind anymore. True to his word Arceus had been right about everything once more as the female Lugia decided to try and be friends with her would-be mate, and things just kind of escalated from there.

Being the only Pokemon besides Mesprit who had an infinite emotional capacity and was inundated with the absolute powers of the Omniversal emotion spectrum, Mew loved a good love story and loved a happy ending even more. She also enjoyed the entertainment that stemmed from the drama between some of the older legends, but Mew herself wasn't one to go around causing trouble for the other legendary beings who shared her universe, even if everything in that universe was a toy to her, she was friendly and outgoing enough that nearly all of the legends liked her, or at least tolerated her to some degree.

All and all, Mew was a playful cat, and as much as she hated to admit it part of her catlike nature won out at times and made her feel like everything in the Omega Omnisphere was hers to play with, the whole of creation itself was her scratching post, her catnip, and chalk full of her subservient people who catered to her every whim. She didn't always think like this and 9 times out of 10 she managed to beat this side of her down deep within the bottomless recesses of her infinite mindscape, but sometimes that selfish catlike personality was harder to control. Ultimately her kind was the very epitome of power and indifference mingled together, and now she was being handed a responsibility for the first time in her life and hoped she wouldn't think of the Chosen Ones as just three more toys for her to play with.

In the end though she knew her maternal instincts as the mother of all existence would win out, that she would treat the Chosen Ones as her own litter of kittens until such a time where their claws were sharp enough and their training far enough along for them to make it on their own. One thing however was deeply unsettling to her; some of the futuristic visions she saw of her and the male Chosen One, the one called Ash, showed him adding her to his roster of Pokemon partners with a love ball of all things. A florescent pink Pokeball with a darker pink heart on the upper half and the words ' _My Precious Mew_ ' inscribed on it. Even more disconcerting was the fact that just before he captured her in that Pokeball which hung around his neck and close to his heart ironically enough, he planted a kiss on her maw, and not just any kiss but a Kalosian kiss.

She was terrified by the implications presented in this futuristic vision and wondered to herself why she had to see that? From what she was able to understand the Chosen Three were meant to be engaged in a three-way soul bond, no more no less, so why was she the one kissing the handsome young man she figured was the male in that three-way relationship and not Serena or Amber? Was this really a vision of her and Ash kissing, or someone who looked like him? She had no doubt it was her in that vision, even though there were tons of shiny and oddly colored members of her species across the Ultra-Verse as a whole; but what about the boy who looked like he could be Ash? She had no idea what he looked like right now and only had her instincts and this future vision to go by. Surely there was time for her to figure this all out and determine whether or not it was truly the primary Chosen One in that vision of the future? She never wanted a mate before and to be honest she didn't want one now, maybe not ever.

Her musing was interrupted by the various legends around her growing tense as the world all around them became impossibly devoid of happiness, love, and positive energy; the whole of creation going dark and a pulse of pure, infinite evil beating all around them. Giratina tensed upon sensing this force pulsing all around them recognizing it almost right away while the other legends all seemed to have their darkest nightmares, worst fears, and greatest regrets manifesting before them. The air had gone totally frigid, and only Arceus's golden glowing form provided any solace, any comfort from the epitome of pure evil hanging all around them, in a place that was supposed to be safe and protected against anything and everything in the Omega Omnisphere that wasn't omnipotent.

Mew's infinitely carefree and indifferent nature made her less affected by this evil, but she was still quite unprepared and quite surprised when a being imitating her likeness materialized in the center of the hall beside her and in front of Arceus. Unlike her, this Mew's fur color was darker than the smoothest and most well polished obsidian, and he was easily twice the size of even her clone Mewtwo who gazed at the creature of darkness before them with absolute loathing; dwarfing a Siberian Tiger with a long skinny tail over twenty feet long, rabbit feet like hers though with sharp, menacing claws sheathing and unsheathing like some kind of a restless tick. His mouth was agape with sharp silver, carnivorous teeth dripping with blood, and his eyes were ruby red with black vertical pupils; giving him a nightmarishly evil look that made Mew herself cringe upon gazing up at them.

' ** _Pardon me to interrupt the party but apparently someone left me off the guest list_** ,' the infamous Black Mew mocked, ignoring the angry and fearful stares of the legendary Pokemon all around him as Dialga's scraping, metal on metal-like voice sounded out. ' _Excuse me but this is a private meeting_ ,' he growled dangerously, just as aware of the fact that this thing had managed to breach an omni-locked location as the rest of the legends were. The obsidian feline smirked, his thinly lipped maw lifting upwards in an evil smile. ' ** _Ah excellent, I hate interruptions which is why I apologized for mine just a few seconds ago_** ,' he said conversationally. Mew could sense that he possessed the power to bring out the worst possible versions of themselves and every other sentient being with just his presence, that he could absolutely corrupt even the purest soul with just his touch or his thoughts. Even she felt his influence slowly revealing a side of her that was as omnimalevolent as he was, and she could feel the absolute darkness trying ever more forcefully to claw its way out of the impenetrable wall of indifference Mew built around her infinite mindscape.

' _Who the hell are you_?!' Articuno demanded, and Mew wondered the same thing as her lookalike grinned lasciviously at her, seeming to sense that Mew wasn't as affected by his presence as anyone else in the vast white hall, including Arceus himself whose dread plate gave him access to the powers of an Anti-God, something he had neglected to tell his children about since as an omnipotent creator he could be both the brightest yin and the darkest yang if he wanted. ' ** _I'm Omninoir, the antithesis of Arceus himself and one of the primordial voids that predates the creation of the Omniverse. I heard you all standing here in your lofty hall, fretting over these god spawns and their capacity to save the Omega Omnisphere from extinction. Well I'm here on the behalf of an all-powerful being who wants you to let the Omnisphere die._**

 ** _You see, death is a beautiful thing; when mortal beings die their bodies go into the ground and turn into flowers, when immortals fade away their essence returns to the original state of the Omnisphere which is the absolute stillness and emptiness that predates the creation of totality itself. My kind call it the Eternal, the Time Lords from the Doctor Who universe call it the Void, but the Grand Omnidonae call it the Source Anti-God, and believe me when I say that it's the ultimate pinnacle of beauty. My point is that it is only in the interval after dying that new things can sprout, only in the intervening period after the Omega Omnisphere's boundless elimination that one can plunge upon the completely unknown and unexplored, the absolutely new, fresh, and uncharted_** ,' Omninoir preached pretentiously.

Arceus sighed as some of his children grew outraged at the dark god's pronouncement whereas some of the less intelligent ones, like Groudon merely stared at the newcomer in frustrated confusion. ' _You're insane! Arceus you can't seriously be okay with this intrusion_ ,' Dialga exclaimed in poorly concealed terror, the presence of Omninoir manifesting their worst fears and darkest nightmares, even Darkrai, Yveltal, and Giratina were wide eyed with terror, and the three of them were the only legends aside from Arceus with any sort of ties or connections to Omninoir's infinite darkness, his destructive and chaotic abilities.

The Alpha Pokemon sighed once more in defeat as he addressed his children at large, his supreme voice managing to calm them down moderately well as the Black Mew form his ancient nemesis took gazed upon him with that ever-present smirk, knowing exactly what he was doing to Arceus's family and taking delight in their misery. ' _Dialga, I am sorry to say but Omninoir is in fact one of our fellow legendary Pokemon and as such is allowed to choose whether or not to attend these meetings. This was decreed long ago by the Omni-Creator of the Ultra-Verse himself, and I am in no position to change that_ ,' Arceus admitted woefully as Omninoir's vile, malevolent grin widened.

' ** _You poor souls are so burdened with all the years you've accumulated in your eternal lives, but life is a very... deceitful omniversal construct; give her an inch and she'll take away everything you know, treasure, love, and value. Existence itself is a sham, and for all of our struggles to make our mark in life, for all we or anyone else in totality will accomplish, given long enough our names will be all but forgotten. Even the most omnipotent beings can't compete with time, and death, so I ask you all, why bother going on at all knowing that it's all for naught in the end? Why don't I just destroy you and everything else right now, should I not be opposed by the vast pantheon of omnipotent beings all it would take is a single thought and I could end all of your pain, all of your suffering_** ,' Omninoir proclaimed, his omnimalevolent presence subtly washing over them all and making some of the legendary beings present consider whether or not he was truly right, but then Mew spoke up, her angelic, inhumanly beautiful voice echoing throughout the collective minds of each and every legendary Pokemon present in Arceus's Hall of Origin, Omninoir included.

' _You're wrong though, life isn't a lie and existence isn't a sham, it's all one big game, and sometimes you gotta keep playing through to win it all. Sure there are those of us who question the meaning of it all but life doesn't even really need to have a point, all it really needs is fun for the sake of fun, and life for the sake of life and the sake of living. As long as you have those qualities it doesn't matter if people think you have no quality of life; I honestly always found that humans and mortal beings put too much stock on the meaning of everything, but then again questioning the meaning of existence has led to a great many tales of the impossible, and explanations for things as vast as the Omega Omnisphere itself._

 _So don't sit there now and tell me this is all for nothing, that it's all pointless because I know for an absolute fact that everything has a purpose in life including life itself. If we all knew the reason for our existence right from the get go, if we knew absolutely everything including our destinies and exactly how they're supposed to go and exactly how to get there, then you could say life was pointless and that the day we know everything we might as well stop. But that's the beauty of life and of power and knowledge and even death; they're constantly changing and evolving, just as the Omega Omnisphere is becoming something completely new and different from what it was. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm just going off my own imperfect experiences but I think you're wrong on almost every account. The Omega Omnisphere is not worth giving up on, not just yet, and quite frankly I'm not sure it will ever be. It's a place where all things are possible no matter how absurd or ridiculous the notion, and that is the kind of world worth living in and the kind that is truly worth fighting for_ ,' Mew concluded with such exuberant passion and mad love for the ultimate game of life she herself had played for countless billions of years that every one of the other legendary Pokemon found themselves moved by her speech. Mesprit actually had tears in her eyes and Arceus nodded in approval.

' _Well said Lady Mew_ ,' he commented simply, whereas Omninoir merely sighed in what almost seemed to be disappointment. ' ** _You are unbearably naive little feline; the Omega Omnisphere is like a giant puppy, and when you see a puppy writhing around in pure agony you put it down, you don't leave it to suffer. You can trust in whatever fallacies you wish, but it is an irrefutable truth of the Omega Omnisphere that life as an omniversal whole is a cruel and heartless construct. Ever hear the saying that life isn't fair, well what's not fair is not worth dealing with; you may cling to your petty ideals and your feeble flickers of light throughout the Omniverse, which die in the end; but in the final end of all things in totality only the darkness, the stillness, and the Source Anti-God will remain. Everything else will be purged, either naturally and over an infinite amount of drawn out, agonizing time, or quickly and painlessly by my hand or by the hand of another omnicidal Anti-God or equally all-powerful force of destruction_** ,' Omninoir hissed with vile, malevolent passion before finally vanishing into the ether, taking his unbearable presence with him and causing the almost total absence of happiness, love, and positivity to dissipate.

There was a collective sigh of obvious relief as the foreign aura of absolute darkness retreated from the Supreme Legendary Council's midst, and Arceus took it from there to carry on where things left off before they were so abruptly interrupted. ' _I believe the futures of the Chosen Ones to be in good hands with Lady Mew here; so now that we all know what kinds of threats exist out there in the Ultra-Verse are there any here who object to our fair lady taking on this monumental task?! Keep in mind what you all just heard her say, and the kinds of powers she possesses. I think she is up to the task, even if my initial reasoning for believing this was based on pretty much nothing I knew she didn't have too many other preoccupations and just decided to assign the task to her. Now Lady Mew before we either deny or accept my suggestion to have you watch over my Chosen Champions, do you yourself wish to withdraw from your decision to protect them, and pass the task onto someone else?_ ' Arceus spoke with a reassuring glance that promised Mew he would not think any less of her if she was scared to endanger herself for the sake of the children; especially given what they were up against which even Mew had yet to fully understand.

She was still thinking about some of the things Omninoir said, and horrifyingly realized this whole prophecy of the Chosen Ones was about the Anti-God Pokemon; whatever war Kyurem described in his futuristic vision, she knew it wasn't just about beating Omninoir it would become about proving whether he was right or wrong. She knew that even if the Chosen Champions had not been involved in this her mind would have already been made up; but with that totality hating monster threatening their lives, the lives of three innocent babies, she knew she would never forgive herself if she rejected Arceus's offer to lead a life of responsibilities and if the children got hurt or worse because of her cowardice.

She wanted to be brave and to feel invincible like she always did, but this time she was up against a being who could actually threaten her life, something she always secretly thought was impossible. She knew that the smart thing to do would be to reject Arceus's offer; that is if she wanted to live a little longer, but also knew that the kind of life involved with getting caught up in a war with the whole of creation at stake was an opportunity for adventure and daring like no other. Despite the circumstances she was a sucker for adventures; having traveled the vast expanse of the Ultra-Verse in the primordial ages of the 9 by 6 Pokemon universe. Arceus hadn't really based his reasons for choosing her on much of anything, and she knew it was mostly coincidental that she just happened to be the one with no prior commitments or huge responsibilities like the other Supreme Legendary Council members; but nevertheless she couldn't shake the feeling that her decision to take on this great and honorable task would change her life for the better and open up her mind and her heart in ways she didn't even know were possible.

She smiled despite knowing that she was essentially putting herself directly in the line of fire, despite knowing that this Omninoir who looked like her was the ultimate bad guy her father's selected champions would have to face, and answered everyone's expectant gazes as they awaited her decision. ' _Yes Father Arceus, I would be honored to take on this great and noble mission; if you all would accept my decision then so mote it be I say,_ ' Mew telepathically conveyed to all of them with absolute bliss and warmth at the very thought of being able to live this life. She knew it wouldn't be easy, even with her omnipotence, her vast godlike powers stretching infinitely beyond even her comprehension and into the realm of absurdity, but frankly she wouldn't have it any other way. The challenges would be equal to what she was capable of and an eternal life of responsibilities and grand adventures awaited her; what was there not to love about this whole situation?

Arceus send her a proud mental smile upon receiving her decision, ' _any objections?_ ' he quickly repeated, and what surprised Mew was that nobody did object. Dialga however, looked positively shaken by something as he cleared his throat to get everyone's attention, gazing at Mew in what seemed to be concern as the omnipotent feline wondered what he was looking at. ' _Are we seriously NOT going to talk about what just happened with that Omninoir character?! Who the hell is he, where did he come from?! Arceus please, can somebody explain to me what is happening here because I can't foresee anything on this guy, in the past or future across infinite universes, dimensions, and realities! What's his deal Father; I think we all have a right to know,_ ' Dialga insisted with a pleading, fearful undertone. To his surprise however Giratina answered him rather than Arceus.

' _He's the reverse of our Father Dialga, an antithesis rather like the relationship between Yveltal and Xerneas over there, or even land and sea like Groudon and Kyogre; same difference, only on a infinitely grander scale, a cosmic, omniversal scale. Also guys, I've seen beings with abilities like his before,_ ' Giratina shuddered involuntarily while explaining her piece. Palkia stared at her in incredulity, ' _when would any of us have ever seen anything like that?! This guy is nuts, from what I understand of his situation he'd gladly see to the boundless elimination of totality itself without any care for the mass omnicide he just committed! With powers like his and a mindset that warped, he's the most dangerous creature our world has ever seen, possibly the most dangerous being in the omniverse itself_ ,' Palkia exclaimed almost as fearfully as the Anti-Matter Pokemon while all the other legends listened with rapt attention.

Giratina suddenly developed a very keen interest in the floor of the Hall of Origin as Mew suddenly realized when Giratina may have seen such a creature and put two and two together. ' _He's the reason you went psycho back in the primordial ages and had to be put away in the Reverse World, isn't he?!_ ' Mew demanded, feeling suddenly very angry and vicious on Giratina's behalf as an audible series of gasps sounded from amongst the legends. Dialga and Palkia both whirled to gawk at Giratina with slacken jaws, while Celebi's mouth was open in a wide O. Mewtwo and the others merely listened with rapt attention; some of the legends who had not spoken up until now saying their piece about how Omninoir had some nerve coming here or that he was insane, or some other equally common thing to say.

Mew tuned pretty much all of them out until Arceus's voice called for silence once more, effectively ending the declarations of war against Omninoir or of Groudon refusing to admit to Kyogre that he was scared; the titan of the sea continually insisting that he was shaking like a leaf. Rayquaza merely floated above the landscape of the hall of origins looking like a total badass, Giratina reverted to her origin form and floated as well, her astral body resembling a ghost even more closely than her physical one and reminding Mew of how someone like her could've fallen prey to Omninoir's influence.

Giratina meanwhile merely nodded meekly in affirmation as all eyes fell on her and Arceus called for silence as he spoke up. Mew briefly wondered if her involvement in the universe's darkest ages was part of the reason Giratina had opted to seal away her totality bending mega evolved form and give up her own omnipotent godhood so as to never again be used as an all-powerful weapon of destruction. It made sense she supposed, why the Anti-Matter Pokemon would be so utterly terrified of what she could do in that form if someone like Omninoir were to possess her while in it; back in the olden days only she, Primal Palkia, Primal Dialga, and Arceus himself had been able to fend Giratina off during her rampages.

It was absolutely terrifying to remember, beholding Giratina in all her omnimalevolent rage; it was one of the most terrifying experiences Mew could remember in all her long life and now that she knew where this evil came from... she was mad, furious even that anyone could be so sick and twisted enough to take advantage of such a normally docile Pokemon like Giratina simply because her mega evolved form was far more wild and untamed, impossibly powerful and yet very bestial and prone to instincts. She just lost control of herself when in that omnipotent form of hers and the fact that Omninoir had taken advantage of that was unforgivable in Mew's opinion. She had a pretty good relationship with all her fellow legends and had known the Creation trio all her life; as a result she had forged a powerful bond with the three of them and despite Dialga and Palkia constantly fighting both of them somehow managed to still like her as much as they ever did, for which she was secretly very thankful. She hated to think that she could be the cause of their constant strife and the obvious tension between the two of them even now. Quickly reminding herself that Arceus was speaking, Mew redirected her attention to the Alpha Pokemon as all of the panicking legends fell silent on sheer principle while their father spoke.

' _Everyone will please not panic; Omninoir is indeed the Anti-God of the Pokemon universe, and our 9 by 6 universe's representation of him is an omnicidal psychopath of the most supreme proportions, but while his ability to corrupt all others is very nearly absolute he fails to understand that life is precious, and that will be what this war is about. It'll be about whether or not he is right, and as members of the Supreme Legendary Council of our universe it is our responsibility to preserve and protect not only our universe but infinite universes, realities, and omni-dimensions across the whole of the Omega Omnisphere itself. We will all need to step up and take control because this war will truly be an infinite crisis. Not to worry though, our Chosen Ones will lead us in the war efforts, and as I said before even I will join Ash Ketchum's roster of Pokemon partners in his quest to not only stop Omninoir but also the achieve every goal he sets for himself, including becoming one of the Pokemon champions of totality itself._

_My children the challenges we will face will be equal to what even the strongest of us are capable of, but Omninoir fails to understand that life is precious and that our totality is not one that needs giving up on just yet. For all his talk about death being beautiful, he fails to comprehend that life can be just as precious, just as pregnant with infinite possibilities to not only change our world for the better, but also to travel the vast expanse of the Ultra-Verse and bring all that we are to infinite other worlds as well. Life is a gift, a gift that must be shared with the rest of the world, and when every life meets another life, something new will be born._

_Always remember that my children, for each and every one of us here are blessed by the UV's Omni-Creator to live in a world where all things are possible, no matter how ridiculous or absurd the notions, the Ultra-Verse allows all ideas, concepts, notions, and other fundamentals of totality to become reality. As Lady Mew so eloquently put it, existence and life itself are a game, and we must treat every obstacle we face in life as such; because like how the Omnisphere never throws more at any one person than it thinks they can handle, there are likewise solutions to every problem one faces in a game, so think of the two as one and the same, and you'll find a way to win it all in the end. That's it for now my children, I want you all to think about what we've all discussed here on this day and reflect on the value of life whether eternal or otherwise for years to come. Our enemy may or may not be ready to take us all on, but so long as we remain forever united, never shall we fall to our enemy who is truly alone in his crusade. So back to your stations my children, and be sure to fill me in on any eventful happenings across the omniverse whether good or bad; assuming of course... that I haven't already sensed said happening myself,_ ' Arceus proclaimed with a high spirited inward smile towards the end of his statement as each and every legend seemed to accept that as their cue to leave and did so. Upon watching most of them vanish and return to their earthly bodies, Arceus was not terribly surprised to see that Mew, Celebi, Meloetta, Victini, and Jirachi remained; some of his most childlike children even if some like Mew was almost as old as he himself was.

' _Father would be it alright if we stayed here with you; at least until the Chosen Ones are born so we can go see them pleassssse?_ ' Meloetta gushed with a fond smile, the five of them clearly very fond of the prospect of human children and wanting to watch these three very fascinating children's birth. Arceus knew he couldn't refuse any of them, and when all five of them were together at once he knew it was impossible to say no. However that didn't mean he didn't have some conditions for them to follow, ' _very well but stay close to me and stay invisible; last thing we need is the doctors and nurses passing out due to shock upon glimpsing us in our natural forms,_ ' Arceus insisted, sweat dropping at the mere thought of what would happen if the five of them were all seen in one place. For starters all of the evil organizations across the world would probably congregate in that one area where the Chosen One was born and quickly work out that Serena or whoever was born at the time of his children's exposure to the world was the reason. Arceus shook his head slightly to clear it of the rather strange scenario it had envisioned and quickly reasoned out that this would be a long wait as all five of his kids started playing around with each other and making a giant mess of his precious hall. Arceus himself supposed that a game of rock-paper-scissors was in order here and quickly conjured an illusionistic double of himself with which to play; cursing his species equine form for all he was worth as he kept playing rock with his double, _stupid hooves_. He was God after all, so why couldn't he win such a simple game in his natural form, it just wasn't _fair_!

XXXXX

"Your cervix is currently dilated at about 8 centimeters Mrs. Ketchum, and given your current rate of dilation and how quick and painless your labor has been; I'd say the baby would be ready to come out momentarily," the doctor explained to his patient, having seen some people who had almost no pain during and even after labor but those were very few and far in between. Also the baby's natural health and other vital signs were enormously strong, stronger than any human baby should ever have the capacity to be. He had never seen anything like this, and was quite unprepared for when a brilliant dome of sheer power and impossibly brilliant light expanded out from the mother's body and encased the entire hospital. From outside he could hear people awing at the simple fact that Pokemon of all different sizes and species were gathering outside of the Viridian City hospital, coming to apparently witness this incredible birth as the dome of light seemed to welcome them all, human and Pokemon alike.

All the patients inside the dome, terminal or otherwise, found that somehow, someway; in a divine act of Arceus, all their ills had gone away and they were somehow cured of whatever afflictions had been ailing them. Terminal cancer patients were forever cured of their brain tumors, lung cancer, testicular cancer, or others and immediately felt tremendous energy surging through them; a famous member of the international police who had long since been checked in for a serious, incurable case of Amnesia and moved to countless different hospitals across the world alongside his caretaker from Hoenn, suddenly had his memories returned to him just out of the blue, and thus the infamous Looker had returned ever so abruptly in a manner that would strike fear into the hearts of criminals all throughout the world. Even people who had been checked in for injuries whether minor or life threatening, found their wounds knitting tightly shut with not so much as scar in their place, their broken bones immediately mending, their joints popping back into place in excruciating, agonizing relief, internal bleeding and bruising immediately returned to the bloodstream and broken blood vessels were immediately mended and pumping blood through the body as they should be. As if all that wasn't enough, but Delia and all the other mothers delivering babies in the hospital found that their labors and deliveries were both at a minimum level of bearable pain; much to the shock of them all since some of them had delivered babies here before and it was very painful.

All and all, every patient inside that hospital was brought back to the very peak of health and some like Looker, who had a grand destiny of his own and a future role in the Chosen Ones' destinies, would one day find he could do more than he ever could before and would gain the peak of human conditioning and retain it, along with his 25 year old body throughout all of time, eternal youth and longevity forever his to enjoy so long as the world needed a truly competent cop who would forever stand for justice, truth, law, and order. Such were his values that the dome of light would even bestow him with Pokemon once more, a partner he would grow to trust as much as the one he lost, and trouble; he'd always have trouble to follow as the globetrotting elite he always wished to be.

"Doctor this is..." the nurse beside him stammered in obvious light headedness as the doctor decided to simply concentrate on helping the mother deliver her child. "Just stay focused on the task at hand Nurse Joy," the doctor insisted, even as he heard nurses and fellow doctors shuffling outside the doors to this hospital room while Delia merely lay there awaiting the final delivery of her beautiful baby boy, a boy who was somehow causing the entire hospital to glow in a brilliant cascading dome of raw energy and unearthly power. "What is it? Can't you see I'm busy here?!" the doctor snapped as a nurse poked her head inside their room and flinched back at the sharp tone in his voice. Drawing slow, deep breaths in an effort to calm himself from all the noises going on outside and the strange light the woman whose baby he was attempting to deliver caught up to him, he immediately apologized for snapping and calmly asked her to explain what was happening to him quickly.

"Sir it's the patients, they're all walking about in their rooms in perfect health, even the terminal ones who shouldn't be able to walk have come to our desks to check themselves out; saying it was by the grace of God that they had been saved and quite frankly I'm at a loss to explain why we should continue to keep them here when all our initial scans show they are truly indeed in perfect health," the nurse stammered in a stupor as Delia and the doctor listened with rapt attention, unable to register what was happening as the doctor scratched his chin and gave a hearty chuckle, much to everyone's surprise. He then started guffawing outright, "nurse Joy tell these fine young men and women that we just need to run a few more diagnostics and then they'll be free to go; I swear this day just keeps getting stranger. I've heard of some miraculous things happening in my career and even bore witness to some of these events myself, but _never_ on this scale. This is the most amazing thing I've ever been witness to in all my years as a doctor, and somehow I get the feeling it has something to do with this woman and the remarkable young boy she is about to deliver," the doctor prattled on as he smiled gently at Delia, who merely smiled back in return as her body started contracting and she felt her little Ash moving around inside of her; almost as if he knew the time for his arrival was imminent. This was by far the most miraculous birth she had ever heard of in all her young life, and if not for the fact that Serena's birth had taken place just three weeks before back in Kalos with her best friend Grace, Delia might not have been so prepared to accept this irrationality dictated by Arceus himself.

Not many people even knew about Arceus or if they did many didn't even believe he existed, but Delia knew that he had to have existed, given the fact that Red's own Mew was essentially omnipotent, and if one omnipotent being could truly exist then why couldn't the others. Her train of thought was interrupted by the inexplicable knowledge coming to her that the baby was ready, and that her cervical diameter was at its peak of 10 centimeters; she was prepared to mark this day down as the day her son was born even as her muscles contracted and her body went spasmodic with pain that was nullified by whatever magic her son was working throughout the entire hospital, magic that had somehow cured every ailment of every patient within said hospital.

The doctor was holding her hand encouragingly just as Red finally showed up and stood by her side right in a nick of time, looking out of breath like he had just run a marathon to get here but also looking somewhat worried which given how well the delivery was going could not be a good sign. "I'm here honey just like I promised; now take hold of my hand and squeeze as hard as you can, you can do it Delia we're all with you in spirit," Red promised her, a mirage of her father Drake of the Hoenn elite four, Richard and Grace Yvonne, and all of her and Red's Pokemon all manifesting and disappearing like ghosts due to Red's insane amounts of spiritual energy connecting all of them on a quintessential level.

Delia knew the doctor and the nurse couldn't see this but she also knew it was real as she felt all of her friends and family, all of her loved ones projecting their positive feelings of encouragement and support to her as Ash finally sprang forth into the world and the doctor and nurse made haste to cut the umbilical cord and get him cleaned up. Red sighed in relief as he sat down in the seat at Delia's immediate left, the baby now tucked safely in her arms as she giggled and cooed at how adorable he looked; a perfectly healthy baby boy; 9 pounds and 6 ounces, born on July the 13th at 9:06 AM, with a mop of raven colored hair and impossibly golden amber eyes, eyes that almost appeared molten in appearance and which shone with awe, wonderment, and uncanny intelligence as he took in all the new and amazing sights around him.

"It's amazing Red, how I can look upon him now and realize so suddenly that he's my whole world. He's _so_ beautiful, I absolutely adore and cherish him," Delia whispered with such fondness and reverence that Red almost felt tempted to joke about how she should marry him instead of her own husband, but wisely held his tongue. Besides given the circumstances that surrounded his late arrival here, Red was in absolutely _no_ mood to joke around, because this birth was no laughing matter as he only just learned moments ago. Thinking back to his forced meeting with the God of Pokemon, Red knew the news he would have to share with his wife would not be the kind of news she would want to hear.

XXXXX

_A few minutes before Red arrived outside the hospital_

_Displacing the omniverse in order to teleport over an infinite distance in an instant was no easy feat, and sometimes when Red and Mew did this he felt naked, exposed, and like another omnipotent being could just snap their fingers and redirect the two of them while they were in their... in between state he supposed he could call it. Ironically enough, that was exactly what happened; for instead of appearing in the middle of the Viridian forest and out of sight where he could return his Mew safely and walk the rest of the way, Arceus had seen fit to summon the two of them straight to his Hall of Origins like the meddling master manipulator he seemed to be at this point._

_His Mew seemed less surprised than he was as they both gazed upon the unfamiliar, otherworldly settings of the vast hall of white, with no roof and instead a white space expanding into infinity, and walls adorned with various paintings depicting legendary Pokemon from ancient times. Now Red was a man of unlimited means and one of the most powerful Pokemon masters ever to walk the earth, and given his top tier position in the Worldly Pokemon League Association he was one of the few humans whom the original legendary Pokemon of the universe had any contact with whatsoever, but he was still surprised to find himself here... in this white and infinite space that only the likes of his Mew or psycho-omnipotent Mewtwo should have been able to forcibly bring them to._

' _Welcome young Pokemon Master, we have been expecting you for some time. I would've simply called for you telepathically but your mind is rather resistant against telepathic shouts so I guess I just seized the moment when the two of you were displacing the Omniverse and saw fit to redirect your teleportation to here. I'm sorry for the abruptness but rest assured that the flow of time is different here than in your world. You can spend eternity here and not a day would pass you by out there; here we exist outside the whole of creation, time, space, duality, causation, even the very fabric of nothingness and the Omega Omnisphere itself. So worry not about missing your young son's birth, I merely wish to talk to you,' an all-powerful godly voice echoed throughout the landscape of Red's entire being as a white, equine being materialized before him and his Mew in a flash of brilliant golden light. Red could feel the Original Powers coming off of this thing in droves, and immediately knew whom he was speaking to as his most powerful Pokemon immediately bowed before the 10 foot horse._

' _Lord Arceus, you honor us with your presence,' his Mew telepathed as Red grunted, glad at least to know he wouldn't be late for his son's birth but wondering why Arceus had chosen to summon him here now of all times. "Not that I'm not honored as well, and I appreciate that your realm is out of sync with all of time in my world, but I really don't want to tempt fate and super tardiness is one of my super powers I swear," Red prattled on, losing track somewhat as Arceus smiled and nodded and decided that for the sake of this remarkable young man's impatience he'd keep it as brief as possible._

" _Very well, you look like you are a very busy man Fredrick Ketchum, and a man of your unlimited means is not to be messed with I'm sure. I'm here to tell you however, that your world is in danger and specifically your family, namely you son," Arceus started, cringing as the look on the human's face became thunderous upon processing this information. "And what pray tell is attempting to endanger my family?! One of your own lot I take it?!" Red demanded rather rudely, having zero time for patience and for pleasantries upon realizing that the God of Pokemon was implicating a possible threat to his family._

_Arceus sighed, this had been about the kind of reaction he was expecting and it did not always please him to be right, unfortunately due to the nature of his infinite mindscape he was very rarely wrong. 'Unfortunately yes, he could be classified as a legendary Pokemon I suppose, though the answer to your question is a bit more complicated than that. He's my literal antithesis, with untold billions of years of experience behind his own omnipotent existence that I doubt even you and your Pokemon with all of your gifts could stand up to alone. Unfortunately that does seem to include you Red's Mew, you see Omninoir is an omnicidal psychopath bent on boundlessly eliminating all things in totality and plunging upon the completely unknown. I know this to be true sadly, I heard it from his own mouth,' Arceus stated swiftly, knowing that Red would more than likely be able to keep up due to the level of intelligence the Ketchum bloodline was known to possess._

_Red took a moment to register all of this but simply nodded sadly as he realized his own son was in danger, and he couldn't do anything about it according to Arceus whom he could sense had already fully gauged his and his Pokemon's limitless strengths and weaknesses in the amount of time they had been here and weighed it against this Omninoir's own. Apparently whatever kinds of powers he and his Pokemon possessed, this evil Pokemon's were better. He wanted to believe that Arceus could be wrong, that he could protect his son and fight this great evil on his own; but he also wanted to be absolutely certain that his little boy would be safe. As if sensing his fear, Arceus quickly hastened to reassure him._

' _Worry not Red, your son will have strength and abilities far beyond imagining. In time he will become the first human to be endowed with omnipotent godhood in our entire universe; for he is the Chosen One, and he will bring great change to the world,' Arceus promised him as Red and Mew both gaped, the Pokemon Master's unbreakable telepathic connection to all his other Pokemon ensuring that they got this startling news as well. Now he finally understood why Ash had such a naturally infinitely strong aura, now he understood the strange domes of light and the otherworldly energies he could sense engulfing the infinitely distant hospital even now from up here in the Hall of Origin. It was both an honor and a privilege that Arceus had chosen his son Ash to be his Champion, a being who according to the legends of old would accomplish boundless wonders and unlimited miracles far beyond anything anyone before him had achieved, world champions included. It was an old legend, one his ancient Mew had relayed to him upon hearing it from the first of his kind, the mysterious blue Mew whom his own had crushed on right from day one but whom had never returned his feelings or anyone else's for that matter._

" _Arceus, this is an honor and I want to believe that Ash is able to take care of himself... but, isn't there more you can do to keep him safe if even I'm not enough?" Red calmly asked, trying to still his racing heart as Arceus smiled and nodded. 'Yes, I already have contingencies in place to keep the boy safe when and if you and your lovely wife are unable to watch over him. I told you this not to put the fear of the Anti-God into you, but to put you on your guard Red. I understand you are busy with your duties as the world champion and have placed the protection of your son, my Chosen Champion, with someone who can better protect him than any human could ever hope to. Not to question your ability to keep your son safe; and not to tell you how to do your job, but can I give you some advice mister Ketchum?' Arceus inquired gently, knowing that what he was about to suggest would most likely turn this would-be father's world upside down and inside out._

" _What is it?" Red nearly demanded, trying to steady his breathing as Arceus sighed morosely and continued. 'Ash's freedom to live the life he chooses is going to be far more important than his safety; because if you and Delia can't rein in your desire to shelter him from the world he'll never become the hero needed to save it, and besides if you rob him of the chance to live due to some misplaced sense of over-protectiveness then you're only succeeding where Omninoir may hopefully one day fail. Remember this alright, and for Delia's sake I do hope you will keep this information between us; at least for the time being, but again that decision is ultimately yours to,' Arceus advised him sagely. Red inhaled and exhaled deeply, trying to make sense of everything that had gone to shit in such a short amount of time. This was all too much for him to deal with properly right now, and he still had his duties as the world champion to attend to._

_Thinking about his duties got him thinking about how he thought he wasn't even truly ready to be a father yet; about how he had been on the road so long and fought so many battles that it was difficult for him to just come home and do the simple things every day. He knew in his heart of hearts that even if he stayed with Delia and with Ash his heart would long to return to the field, to the world of Pokemon battles and to his mantle as the champion of that entire world. That yearning would eventually drive him to get up and leave sometime in the middle of the night, and his only son and his wife would probably never fully understand; at least Delia never would though he had the feeling if his son Ash was anything like him then once he got started on his journey then he'd have to keep on moving._

" _This is a lot to process Lord Arceus, I think I need some time with my son out there in the real world before I decide ultimately what it is I wish to do," Red finally concluded as Arceus nodded understandingly and flashed him a telepathic and reassuring smiley face as a blinding flash of white light engulfed Red and Mew, the two of them displaced the omniverse once more to reappear where they had originally intended, with not even a minute having gone by since they first departed for the hospital. Red's head was still spinning even as he hastily returned his Mew and sprinted for the Viridian City hospital as fast as was humanly feasible. He couldn't believe that in such a small instant, his whole world would come crashing down or that his family would be the number one target of an omnicidal psychopath bent on omniversal destruction. This was just too much, even for him, and as Arceus himself was probably thinking there was no way he could say any of this to Delia. Her over protective motherly instincts at that revelation would most definitely make her unreasonable where Ash's safety was concerned, and if Arceus was right than his son's destiny was riding on the prospect of him living a good life to its fullest._

XXXXX

"Aw look at him, he's so cute," 5 year old Daisy Oak gushed fondly while she, professor Oak, and Daisy's mother Andromeda visited Delia in the hospital, alongside the five week old baby Gary and even Blue Oak himself had come to see her. Delia was currently letting Daisy hold her son and made certain the little girl was as careful as could be; she was quite pleasantly surprised however when the five year old elicited a coo from the baby Ash and played with him as fondly as any mother could.

Oak's eyes were filled to the rim with questions regarding the strange happenings surrounding Ash's birth, and Delia could sense he was just barely holding his insatiable curiosity in check as she and Red locked eyes and she saw for the first time that he seemed to be carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. He looked tired, defeated, and like he could use a very good night sleep; something which contradicted his usual unlimited energy and endless optimism, something which Delia realized was cause for concern and that she would need to discuss with her husband at a later point, but for right now she was too happy with how her child had turned out to let anything rain on her parade and at least Red smiled when somebody directed a question at him.

"So mister world Champ, how's your mantle been treating you my boy? Honestly Red, speaking from experience here I can honestly say the lack of suitable challenges to the throne of the world champion is going to catch up to you sooner or later, and you'll long to return to the road to battle with other trainers on the field," Oak rattled off his own experiences as the world champion as Red nodded and listened with a faraway look in his eyes, one only Delia seemed to have caught as she wondered if he truly wished to be a father. No that was ridiculous, given how happy and excited he had been before Ash's birth; something else must have happened, maybe Red was weighing his options more meticulously now that Ash was finally born and realized he'd have to balance between his role as a father and his duty to the world as its Pokemon League Champion. She knew that a lot of the Pokemon league champions tended to take their work home with them and managed to balance between their Pokemon battling careers and their family lives just fine; unfortunately her husband was the World Champion, a Pokemon Master among Pokemon Masters and he would always have many mighty tasks that would occupy his time. Delia fully understood this and would also understand if Red wouldn't always have the time to be there for her and their newly born child. She was quite unprepared however, when her husband answered Oak and interrupted her musing.

"Honestly professor I've been thinking about getting back on the road a lot recently. In light of recent events that have been brought to my attention; I've realized that me and my Pokemon are not as invincible or as fundamentally unbeatable as I would like to believe and that's scary to contemplate. Imagine how it must feel believing you're the most powerful man in the universe one day then merely the puppet of a far greater power the next, it is both a humbling and terrifying realization," Red admitted woefully, locking eyes with Delia and pleading with her to understand that they would talk about this more afterward but that he needed to let her know in no uncertain terms that he couldn't necessarily protect their son from any and all things.

Oak, being ever so oblivious to this exchange between husband and wife, quickly plucked the sleeping Ash's form out of his granddaughter's arms and handed him back to Delia, the little girl pouting cutely upon having the little boy taken from her in such an abrupt manner. "Well my boy that's the way life works, no matter how powerful we think we are we are not truly invincible now are we? In the grand scheme of things there is always going to be someone who is better; I always thought myself unbeatable to, but then you and dear Benjamin here came along and suddenly I was out of the job as a Pokemon League World Champion. It is very humbling indeed that in the endless hierarchy of aspiring Pokemon Masters throughout the world past and future alike, we are almost never truly at its peak. Becoming number one at anything in the world may seem like an absurd goal Red, but so long as we Pokemon trainers and researchers shall live, we shall continue to gorge ourselves on the ultimate cuisine, and engage in desperate battle for all of time until we can no longer physically stand it. Such is the way of the trainer Red, and we both know this better than most," Oak stated in a well thought out speech as Red and everyone else smiled at his proclamation. Benjamin AKA Blue snorted as his grandfather in response to his statement.

"You keep forgetting that my name is Blue Gramps... whatever guys, I've got places to be so I'll smell you all later; make sure you stay in top form Red or I might just breeze past you one of these day, oh and Delia, congratulations on the baby," Blue grunted with a soft tone in his voice as he spoke to Delia while snipping at everybody else. Delia nodded and thanked him with a smile as her baby Ash fell fast asleep in her arms and the doctor knocked on the door before tentatively informing them that visiting hours were over and the mother and her child would be staying overnight before they were to be discharged the next morning. Delia smiled at this and accepted a deep, sensual kiss from her husband as he whispered quickly in her ear before being the last to depart.

"We seriously need to talk honey, something really big just came up last minute and I'd be foolish if I didn't discuss it with you, but until tomorrow you just sleep well alright. I'm sorry if I'm not acting like myself but hopefully tomorrow you'll understand why," Red whispered in her ear before capturing her lips in another searing hot kiss and filing through the door with the rest of them. Delia whispered sweet nothings in Ash's ear and promised to see him again first thing tomorrow as the doctor gently took him from her arms to be laid ever so neatly in the nursery. He was so well behaved and didn't even cry or fuss when the doctor took him from her, merely staring curiously at her with those impossibly golden eyes of his. She thought she wouldn't be able to fall asleep after Red's cryptic parting statement to her about whatever had come up. As soon as her head hit the pillow however, she was out like a light, not even realizing that in the nursery hall over on the other side of the hospital, baby Ash was not as alone as she might have expected.

XXXXX

' _Aw, he's so freaking adorable I can't stand it_ ,' Mew cooed while floating above the nursery's hospital cribs completely invisible and refracting any and all forms of light. Arceus was floating above them near the roof as Mew, Victini, Celebi, Meloetta, Jirachi, and surprisingly Mesprit, who had joined up with them last minute, all took turns looking closely at Ash; amazed that someone destined to wield so much power and responsibility could start off as so sweet and innocent.

' _Be very quiet my children, this boy may seem perfectly normal but within him is the powers of an omnipotent god and if we're too loud we might actually end up waking him,_ ' Arceus informed them gently as Mesprit and the others nodded in understanding. ' _Aw he's like the sweetest thing I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of things throughout the omni-temporal continuum so that's saying something,_ ' Celebi swooned as her lightly buzzing wings fluttered just above Ash's crib, creating a light breeze that slightly ruffled the baby's crib and caused it to gently sway as the time traveling Pokemon rocked the cradle.

All of the Pokemon present said their piece about how cute he was or how he was destined to wield so much power, all that usual stuff as Arceus supervised them all late at night long after visiting hours; Mew however took one look at that sweet, innocent little baby and knew that her life was changed forever. He bore the same exact z-shaped scars as the human teenager from her vision; the one she was kissing sensually and as if her whole life, her entire universe revolved around him. As if sensing Mew's thoughts Mesprit voiced the question that all of them were thinking about.

' _Father, why are there those strange markings on his cheeks_?' she inquired with a seemingly infinite abundance of curiosity. Arceus considered his answer as his children continued to fawn over the baby who would one day become one of the champions of the Omega Omnisphere itself, which was the largest thing forever conceptualized or imagined by any and all minds. ' _The answer to that question varies from universe to universe my sweet daughter Mesprit; sometimes they're just birth marks, other times they're scars he acquired at a young age either by some traumatic experience or something minor like a Pokemon scratching him. In the Omniverse's collective omni-dimensional continuum the explanation for these markings are seemingly infinitely variant, in our universe though these markings have a purpose for being there,_ ' Arceus paused a moment to let this sink in as Mew turned her attention away from the baby Ash to gaze at her father in perplexity.

' _Which is_ ,' she queried telepathically, and Arceus sent her a kind mental smile in return. ' _Ash's cheeks are marked in the form of a letter Z, why do you think that is? As a future champion of the Omega Omnisphere itself and one of totality's greatest heroes; Ash has been endowed with the very markings of Zeneptron himself,_ ' Arceus answered as everyone, Celebi and all the others shared a sharp intake of breath upon hearing the very name of the Source Anti-God himself.

' _Why in the bloody hell would the mark of the Omniarch of Anti-Gods manifest on Ash's cheeks?! Isn't that a sign of the Supreme Evil?! Correct me if I'm wrong father but Zeneptron was the almighty ruler of the infinite pantheon of Anti-Gods, Demonic Gods, Fallen Angelic Gods, Omniversal Death Gods, Omni-Dimensional Chaos Lords, and every other all-powerful force of destruction, darkness, and evil throughout the Omega Omnisphere, wasn't he?!_ ' Mew exclaimed worryingly, wondering if Ash's destiny was somehow tied to this Supreme Force, this ultimate pinnacle of all things evil that even other Anti-Gods like Omninoir himself held in the highest esteem. She prayed to the UV's Omni-Creator that she was somehow wrong about this, but to her surprise Arceus sent her and her sisters a reassuring telepathic nudge.

' _Yes my dear children it is true that Zeneptron's true nature is that of the Source Anti-God and the ruler of the endless hierarchy of omnipotent evils throughout the Omega Omnisphere, but you mustn't forget that he was also the omni-creator of the original Omega Omnisphere concept and was He who brought the Omega Omnisphere concept to reality via the powers of the Source Realm. Ash represents this side of him, not the omnimalevolent side that only saw the Omnisphere as his own personal stomping ground,_ ' Arceus said in a placating manner, trying to reassure them though some of his daughters were still skeptical. Mew couldn't help the shudder that wracked her entire body as she thought of what might happen if Ash himself became some sort of an Anti-God himself. She knew better than a lot of beings that there was some merits to the whole idea that absolute power corrupted absolutely. But then she saw him smile down in his crib as he slept the night away without a care in the world, and she couldn't bring herself to believe that he could ever have any sort of connection with the very Omniarch of Evil that brought the Omnisphere concept to life for no other reason than to turn it into his own personal stomping ground; where his deepest and darkest desires and wildest, most perverted fantasies were all possible with but the briefest of thoughts.

' _How could someone so high up the food chain as Zeneptron, with all his influence and his ties to the source of the Omnisphere itself, just disappear I wonder?_ ' Victini remarked as Mesprit and the others turned to Arceus for some sort of confirmation while the Alpha Pokemon grinned mystically at them. ' _The tale of Zeneptron's fall from eternal grace as the Omega Omnisphere's creator is the sort of myth that inspired the creation of the Ultra-Verse itself and many others; but now is not the time to tell it my children. In time the legacy of Totality's Mightiest Heroes will herald the dawning of a new age of infinite power, and their names will resound throughout the Omega Omnisphere, but that is not for me or anyone else in the Ultra-Verse to divulge. Let the author whom writes fanfiction stories based on our worlds figure out how to tell that story in a way the mortals will understand, but for now I don't want to give away any spoilers. I guess I'll finish this anecdote by saying the tale of Zeneptron's mythical defeat is another story for another time,_ ' Arceus said mysteriously.

Mew and the others were fascinated by what little Arceus had divulged even if he hadn't revealed much of anything useful. He was right though; this was about Ash and his alleged connection to the creator of the Omnisphere himself, not about how said creator fell from grace at some point in his reign of infinite, omni-dimensional terror. Despite whatever may have happened to Zeneptron she was glad that Ash represented the part of his legacy that lead to the creation of totality itself and was destined to become one of the omni-dimensional heroes and deities who would one day save the Ultra-Verse from the omnicidal psychopath she and the other Supreme Legendary Council members bore witness to three months prior.

' _I think we should take our leave soon my children,_ ' Arceus started, getting ready to escort them out of the hospital as a strange but fascinating idea came to Mew just out of nowhere. ' _Hey wait a minute lord Arceus, why don't we commemorate this occasion by bestowing onto our Chosen One certain gifts for gracing us with his presence for the first time,_ ' she suggested hopefully as Celebi and all the others grew giddy at this idea while Arceus took a moment to contemplate his eldest daughter's intriguing idea.

' _Not a bad idea, to be honest Lady Mew I was thinking of manifesting some of Ash's latent omnipotence as a chance to sort of ease him into the role he'll one day play but I've been torn between that and letting him lead a perfectly normal life up until a certain point. It would seem however Lady Mew that you have been full of surprises these past months,_ ' Arceus complimented, causing the supremely deified feline to blush over her whole body at the praise while all of the other legendary Pokemon immediately warmed to the idea as Mesprit decided to go first.

Once Arceus warned them to keep the light shows to a minimum Mesprit spoke in a soothing telepathic voice that tickled at the boy's subconscious and manifested certain traits, certain abilities he already had within him, only a bit earlier than the universe intended for one of the Omega Omnisphere's future champs. ' _Chosen One Ash Ketchum, please accept my humble gift in the form of your now manifested connection to the Omniversal Emotional Spectrum. I hereby endow you with a capacity for love, hope, optimism, and bliss infinitely exceeding that of any mortal man. The level of love you will harbor for your future soul mates will intensify and grow by infinite leaps and bounds, strengthening the love and passion between all of you to absolute levels bringing the three of you to the ultimate form of ecstasy and the highest level of passion one can attain in the Omega Omnisphere. Any romantic interaction between you and your bond mates will be the ultimate experience, the omnipotent form of ecstasy that only godlike beings can ever truly experience and that only boundlessly conditioned bodies can handle. Please accept my gift for all the years of your life and cherish the passion and the love your soul mates will bring into your life forever more; this is my judgement, and so mote it be,_ ' Mesprit telepathically soothed the sleeping baby who was dead to the world as a boundlessly brilliant flash of pink that no mortal eye could glimpse enveloped the newborn Ash, the baby cooing in delight in his sleep as he was encased in a dome of sheer power and almighty ecstasy.

Mesprit floated backwards upon awakening the child's connection to all the positive emotions across the Omega Omnisphere's entire ambient and collective spiritual and positive energy. Mesprit knew that this was the greatest gift she or anyone else could have given him; love was the most all-powerful fundamental force she knew of and she also knew that even the mightiest gods could be brought to their knees by it. Love was strong enough that even an omnipotent being could find him or herself wrapped completely around the finger of the one they loved, the one being in all the omniverse who had complete, absolute power over said deity and who was paradoxically, the deity's one true weakness and yet the source of his/her greatest strength. Case and point Mesprit knew she had just given Ash the ability to love someone so completely, so absolutely that they'd always hold his heart in their hands even when he possessed unlimited means with which to rewrite and control the Omega Omnisphere. She didn't like to presume but she thought this gift was pretty good, and wondered to herself if her fellow gift givers could top it.

Celebi clapped her on the back very sportingly, and sighed in obvious frustration as she tried to think of a suitable gift for the future Champion of Arceus, wondering what she could give him that he wouldn't one day possess the power to obtain for himself. Thus she was faced with the imponderable conundrum of what to get for the man who would have everything? Finally after wracking her infinite mindscape to find a suitable gift for what felt like eternity Celebi thought of something that she felt was semi decent and within her capabilities. ' _Chosen One Ash, please accept my humble gift in the form of precious moment preservation and the ability to relive all of your most positive, loving, and euphoria inducing moments and memories as if you were experiencing them all over again. On top of that you'll also have the ability to preserve these moments you relive for all eternity in a special chrono-locked chamber that you shall discover in your own time. Speaking of time, this chrono-locked chamber filled with precious memories is completely out of sync with not only the omni-temporal continuum of the Omniverse but also omni-locked outside of everything else as well, and is therefore totally inaccessible to anybody but you or anybody who is given your permission to enter its sacred boundaries, plus you can only give this permission of your own free will and will not be able to do so under any form of duress._

 _This chamber is within your own infinite mindscape and will allow you to view these precious memories as a third-person perspective as well as relive them all over again, instantly transporting you to that moment and allowing you to re-experience your most treasured memories all over again, as if you would never have remembered them if not for said chamber. Please accept my gift so that you can always cherish life's most precious moments for all eternity if you so desire; so that you'll always be reminded of the good times and never forget how to be good yourself. This is my judgement, and so mote it be,_ ' Celebi said, explaining the properties of her gift very in depth as the omniverse tightened around Ash's infant form in response to her words; sealing the deal as a flash of brilliant green light flooded the room and dissipated the moment it enveloped Ash, his body absorbing the omni-dimensional temporal energy like a sponge sucking up an endless amount of water.

With two very personal and amazing gifts now bestowed onto the Chosen One, Arceus couldn't help but feel awed and touched at the length his daughters were going to in order to make their gifts truly meaningful. He actually found himself wondering if Ash had been deified without any premature exposure to these aspects of his omnipotent existence; would he have taken his infinite emotional capacity and the ability to relieve his very best memories and other such applications of his supreme power for granted? His reverie was interrupted by Jirachi floating closer to the sleeping baby who still somehow managed to remain oblivious to all the brilliant flashes of light; truly dead to the world as any natural baby would be, but nothing about this child was natural and Arceus could feel the effects of his daughters' gifts setting in already even as he wondered what Jirachi would give him.

Apparently his daughters were interested in the potential answer to this question as well and why wouldn't they be? Jirachi had unlimited wish granting powers and could bring anyone's deepest desires, most intimate fantasies, wildest dreams, and their most absurd wishes to life no matter how impossible or death defying or how much the Omnisphere's mightiest beings may have despised her abilities. Only an omnipotent being had the slightest hope of overriding any of Jirachi's wishes when they were granted and she could even bestow anyone with anything, any super power including omnipotence itself. One might wonder whether a level infinity Jirachi such as herself was in fact actually omnipotent, and they wouldn't be entirely wrong for this could be considered a form, a variant of omnipotence in a way. The main difference was that her power required a wish as a sort of basis, a foundation for the limitless wish granting powers she possessed to actually work, but who in the Omega Omnisphere didn't have an infinite abundance of wishes, things they wished were different about their lives or those of their families, even people they wanted dead or brought back from the dead. Such things were easily within a level infinity Jirachi's powers, unrestricted omni-slaying and even unlimited resurrection were just two possible applications.

Jirachi seemed to consider long and hard much like Celebi did, knowing it would be hard to grant a wish based on what Ash would want since he was only a baby and didn't know much of anything about life or what he wanted out of it; so she had to work out what it was she herself wished for him to have, something he could make genuine use of. Like Celebi before her Jirachi just wasn't certain to give this remarkable boy sleeping beneath their floating invisible selves. He possessed within him the unlimited powers of an almighty deified being; he already had the infinite means to achieve every goal he set for himself and to attain everything he could ever desire within him. What could she possibly give him that would leave a lasting impression and would be something he would probably take for granted if bestowed with the full scope of his abilities, and without any premature exposure to any applications he could grow to love having? She wracked her brains trying to find the answer to this very question and finally an idea began to form within the endless recesses of her own mind.

' _Ash Ketchum, please accept my humble gift in the form of a subtle variation of unrestricted wish granting powers. When you make friends with people or even just acquaint yourself with someone you don't know very well; this power will manifest in such a way where these friends, family, and even lovers will have the desire to make their dreams come true fester within them, and then proceed to slowly but surely allow them to achieve every goal they aspire towards, every dream and deepest desire within the wells of their heart. When people are around you they'll feel naturally inclined to follow their dreams no matter what and no matter how absurd those dreams are in the eyes of men; your power will not grant them their heart's deepest desire right away but instead discretely endow them with the absolute focus and commitment, the dedication, determination, and everything they will ever need to make their dreams a reality so long as they have the drive to aspire towards something. This is the nature of your unlimited wish granting power; this is my judgement, and so mote it be,_ ' Jirachi stated with confidence as the very Heart of the Omega Omnisphere seemingly pulsed around them and beat in response to her limitless power and ability to rewrite the laws of totality, and there was no glow, no fireworks, no light show; Jirachi simply spoke her words and her power made it so as Ash's body gave off a quiet vibe of pure, unlimited power. Within him now was the supreme force to make his lovers, friends, and allies' deepest desires and most hard to attain goals and dreams come true, even bestowing them with the absolute focus and commitment to do so if they lacked the will to achieve it themselves.

Arceus had to admit he was impressed by this subtle variation of Jirachi's abilities and gave her full marks for that one as Jirachi passed the metaphorical torch over to Meloetta, who looked extremely excited and like she already a very clear idea of what she was going to give him. Arceus smiled at her enthusiasm, even as he said, ' _try not to get too carried away with your gifts my daughters; we want to ease the Chosen One into his future role not bestow his full power unto him outright,_ ' he reminded them as Meloetta nodded in affirmation as Jirachi, Celebi, and Mesprit all made room for her to get up close to the newborn child. It was already well past 3 in the morning and he was still sleeping as soundly as ever, not a single peep, a cry, or a fuss to indicate that he was bothered by their intrusion whatsoever. Meloetta could sense immediately that this child could grow up to be a very talented and respectable trainer; perhaps even one who could earn her allegiance one day if he stayed true to the wholesome values his mother would no doubt instill upon him.

' _Oh Chosen One, please accept my humble offer of the power of music enhanced to unlimited levels. You will possess the power of music manipulation and any and all music-based super powers enhanced to absolute levels, including an infinite skill level at playing any and all musical instruments whether of human design, Pokemon design, or other more alien designs across totality. You will be able to manipulate all the different aspects of the omniversal emotional spectrum via your music, induce pure happiness and love in even the most battle hardened warring adversaries, calm even the most immeasurably enraged and beserker state beings across the whole of creation with just the power of song, and achieve an unlimited number of other unlimited affects all through the power of your own flawless singing voice and through any type of instrument no matter how seemingly unremarkable._

 _You will also possess a flawless natural rhythm to any and all songs, tunes, and beats, as well as being able to pass on that flawless rhythm to your Pokemon during their training thus allowing them to adapt to any and all opposing attacks. You will also possess the power to sing your songs in the holy voice of an all-powerful Angelic Deity or even in the Word of God itself, giving you unlimited power to reshape and manipulate all of totality with the power of music. You will possess omni-tone abilities and be able to speak, shout, scream, sing, or otherwise make any kind of noise or humming sound in any and all pitches and volumes, any frequency, and even vibrate your own body at any and all frequencies in totality including the types of frequencies that stretch into the realm of complete absurdity. Such is your vibration and phasing powers that you'll be able to vibrate at the invariant speed of the Omega Omnisphere itself and phase out of sync with totality as a whole. You may possess this power at any time there is music being played that you can hear, either by you or by anyone else, you cannot activate this power on command and only when you are dancing to a rhythmic tune or in earshot of any form of song or music. This is my judgement, and so mote it be Chosen One,_ ' Meloetta giggled giddily, planting a sweet kiss on the baby's forehead and causing him to stir slightly as an almighty choir of the Omnisphere's pantheon of angelic gods and an omni-dimensional symphony of all the Omnisphere's collected musical masterpieces sounded in their heads and Ash's in a superimposed manner that should have sounded horrendous and blended every sound, tune, tone, and form of song and music into one gigantic mess but still somehow sounded amazing.

Every song of every genre, every music-based power, every form of music manipulation, and even divine forms of music, songs of omni-creation and infinite destruction, choirs of almighty angelic and celestial beings that carried with them unspeakable levels of power to achieve any boundless feat, and even the Voice of the Omnisphere's Omni-Creator all blending together and bestowing their limitless power unto Ash forever more, so that he may always appreciate the sheer beauty and limitless power of music throughout the entirety of existence. Arceus sweat dropped at Meloetta's over the top and arguably omnipotent ability bestowal and thought it best to bring this to her attention. Before he could however she overshot him, having evidently sensed where his thoughts were heading as he stopped pre-tirade.

' _Father relax and just loosen up a bit; I made it clear that Ash could only activate this power when in earshot of a song or when singing one himself, or when playing his own melodious tune on any form of instrument. To be honest I'm not even sure he'll like music all that much; besides he won't be likely to fully comprehend the full scope of this ability unless he truly feels compelled to explore its hidden subtleties. I just felt it would help him appreciate the unlimited beauty and power of music if he had the ability to achieve unlimited miracles anytime any song of any kind was being played by anyone in his presence, himself included,_ ' Meloetta explained as Arceus relented that she had a point. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad letting Ash have such a powerful ability if it increased his passion for a rather common hobby that he would have taken for granted otherwise; nevertheless he would be keeping an eye on Ash anytime he used this power and would alter its properties slightly if his Chosen Champion became too irresponsible with the ability.

Victini suddenly grew excited as all eyes fell expectantly on her and she began flying superfast circles around the hospital nursery in her excitement. ' _Yay, my turn, my turn, okay, okay um, Chosen One; please accept my humble gift in the form of unlimited energy and inexhaustibility during the day. During the hours you spend awake you will always find the energy you need and the absolute tirelessness to get the most out of every single day and devote yourself to completing every task you see fit, until such a time where you deem yourself ready for bed during which your body will power down and go into sleep mode; restoring your unlimited energy to achieve all you wish to achieve and to get the most out of your next day._

 _The amount of time needed to restore your energy each and every night will be approximately four hours, meaning that you'll require no more than four hours sleep every night and will be able to do all anyone can do with the remaining 20 hours of the day. Also despite your physical tirelessness you will still feel hunger and still be able to starve, thus your body will still require sustenance when there are meals provided; meaning you get the most out of your human life and will be able to experience the joys of being full and of being able to get full when hungry. This is my judgement, and so mote it be,_ ' Victini declared as an unlimited surge of pure, unlimited, inexhaustible energy and stamina poured into every cell in the boy's body and remained dormant until his four hour sleep cycle was up.

Arceus and Mew couldn't help smiling as the eternally ADHD Victini continued dancing about in midair, once again proving how generous she was at sharing the infinite energy and power she created. As Arceus locked eyes with his daughter he knew that both of them were thinking the same thing as he telepathically spoke. ' _Alright Mew, since you were the one who suggested this bestowal of gifts upon Ash Ketchum, you may have the pleasure of going last if you wish. If not I'd be happy to do so instead,_ ' Arceus reassured her as Mew smiled up at his gigantic form, feeling positively diminutive in comparison as she always did next to many legends in their natural form.

' _I'd like to go last if that is okay Lord Arceus,_ ' Mew said hopefully as Arceus nodded. He began grinning inwardly at his earlier reprimanding of Meloetta's bestowal of a potentially omnipotent ability upon realizing he wasn't truly serious about scolding her. ' _My Chosen Champion, and future champion of the Omega Omnisphere itself, I Arceus of the 9 by 6 Pokemon universe, representative of the UV's Omni-Creator and hopefully one day one of your leading Pokemon partners, hereby in all my omnipotence and supreme godhood, hereby bestow you with two gifts. The first is the ability to connect with hearts of any and all Pokemon within your immediate vicinity; syncing with them instantly on an emotional level and able to telepathically follow their every thought and feeling, even know what their deepest desires are._

_This ability will extend to humans as well; though only with the ones whom your own soul will resonate with; Serena Yvonne and Amber Valentino, your soul mates will be almost as easy for you to read as you read the palm of your own hand. Now for your second ability, I hereby awaken your unlimited powers of the mind and your infinite mindscape; thus bestowing you with full psycho-omnipotence and allowing you to attain omnipotent mastery over omni-kinetic forces throughout the Omnisphere, even omni-mystokinetic energies this giving you absolute magical powers and omni-magical manipulation. With the proper training you can omni-lock your mindscape and make it absolutely impenetrable to any and all forms of intrusion, and as a result of your awakened limitless psychic potential you will possess absolute intellect, nigh omniscience, infinite perception of totality and nearly everything in it, absolute omni-kinesis and omni-kinetic manipulation, the will of God, and every psionic power enhanced to absolute levels._

_These more advanced powers will of course require immense training on your part to fully tap into and understand the full complexities of. By the supreme power invested by me, I hereby lay down my judgement upon you in the form of these two gifts, and so mote it be,_ ' Arceus commanded with all the authority of an Omniarch as the thrum of the original powers pulsed throughout the entire hospital and a golden light cascaded over the son of Delia with a boundless brilliance that was invisible to the mortal eye. Ash tossed and turned in his sleep upon having such power bestowed upon him at such a tender age; the infant growing restless and fitful in his slumber as Victini's gift of infinite energy ensured he was always up in four hours. Mew could sense he was close to waking as it all came down to her to find a gift or two for Ash. Meloetta meanwhile, quirked an eyebrow at Arceus who merely sent her a sheepish mental smile; the both of them coming to silent agreement to let bygones be bygones.

Mew took longer than all the rest of them combined to think of decent gifts for her charge, the one she would serve and protect as an all-powerful guardian angel. Looking down at his restlessly sleeping, twitching form, his tiny head of jet black hair, and the mark of Zeneptron on both his cheeks, she finally had an idea of the life she had been missing and the possible merits it could have. Immediately her maternal instincts kicked in infinite fold, encasing her in an almighty, unshakable desire to protect this child at all costs, even at the cost of her own life. Looking down upon him now, she wondered to herself how she could have lived so long without having something as important as this task of hers, someone to watch over and protect; someone who depended on her for everything at this delicate, early stage of his life. She knew she wasn't his mother and God only knew what he would become to her in the future as he grew up, but right now Mew could not have been happier to have been chosen as his protector.

' _Oh, future champion of the Omega Omnisphere, I am Lady Mew, nice to meet you little one. Please allow me the distinct honor of bestowing to you two gifts, here's number one for you little guy. I hereby invoke my totality manipulation powers to allow you to elevate the passion, sexual pleasure, hormonal levels, and love between you and your soul mates while kissing, hugging, and especially doing the deed. This elevation will be infinitely higher than any normal human body could ever hope to produce and will not affect you or your bond mates in any negative way, bringing the three of you to the supreme form of ecstasy and the ultimate high, allowing your love for each other to grow by infinite leaps and bounds far beyond anything any mortal couple could ever hope to feel._

 _It is my hope that your soul bond with Amber and Serena received the blessing of Ash Ketchum Infinity himself and hereby use my own omni-telepathy to project my desire for this blessing across the entire Omnisphere and through every omni-locked location in the hopes that it finds the legendary being who legend has it saved the Omnisphere in times long since passed. Please Ash Ketchum Infinity, if you do exist and if you receive my message, know that I beseech thee, that I ask for your blessing not for myself, but for the remarkable alternate version of yourself who could one day potentially live up to the absurd notion you embody,_ ' Mew prayed, projecting her plea across the whole of creation and feeling only the slightest tickle in the very back of her mind in response; almost imperceptible and yet carrying with it the promise that her pledge was observed.

To say Arceus and the others were shocked by her first gift would be an understatement, to invoke her powers in such a way and beseech a being who legend has it was the Pokemon Master of the Omega Omnisphere itself, the supreme Omniarch of Pokemon Masters across totality itself; like Mew said it was an absurd notion and most in the Ultra-Verse believed the infinitely removed version of Ash Ketchum was only a myth, but Mew had just asked for the legendary blessing he himself endowed only on the soul bonded couples he personally recognized as the best in his own personal opinion. As a result, every couple throughout the Ultra-Verse who was lucky enough to be in a soul bond with the one they love, be they Pokemon, human, or otherwise; secretly longed for the legendary mark, the omni colored infinity symbol of AK Infinity to appear upon them as a testament of their everlasting love and the promise of eternal happiness. Mew was going to a lot of trouble on the Chosen One's behalf, and all of them knew the significance of this first gift as well as he did as Arceus questioned whether his eldest child had really thought this all the way through before hastily praying to the legendary being even other omnipotent Pokemon masters aspired to.

Mew however, couldn't have been happier to try and make Ash's future soul bond the best it could be; besides, even if it didn't turn out the way she hoped at least she could say she tried, and given that gentle push in the back of her infinite mindscape she secretly wondered if Ash Ketchum Infinity was really as nonsensical as everybody believed. Part of living in the Ultra-Verse was learning to believe in the craziest ideas, the most absurd notions, yet even the UV's best and brightest seemed to draw a very clear line between what they believed to be possible and utter nonsense.

She often questioned the stupidity of such an endeavor, because quite frankly part of being omnipotent was knowing that the line between possible and impossible was incredibly blurred, and crossing it enough times could make that line disappear altogether. So was it really so impossible for an infinity version of her universe's Ash to be out there somewhere, in a totality where all things were real no matter how ridiculous, impossible, paradoxical, or contradictory. Her point was that at least she tried and no matter if he was real or if he recognized her desire to make his 9 by 6 incarnation's soul bond the best it could be, then at least she would find out all in due time; right now all she wanted to do was get started on her second gift for her universe's Ash.

' _Now for the second part of my gift my young charge; by the power invested by me I hereby officially recognize you as an official member of the Supreme Legendary Pokemon Council, so that you can attend our meetings, get to know each and every one of us, and always be up to speed on the latest happenings across the 9 by 6 universe and by extension the UV and the Omega Omnisphere. Are there any in the council who reject this offer?_ ' Mew quickly said, invoking her sacred powers in order to induct Ash into the council right away as she gazed imploringly at Arceus, who of the council members was the only one with the authority to overrule her decisions.

Arceus pondered this for a moment, before finally nodding with an approving smile. ' _Very well Mew, I was going to induct him anyways when he was a tad bit... older, but right now works to. By the power invested by me as the Supreme Council Member number 1, I hereby dub Ash Ketchum 9 by 6 of the 9 by 6 universe as my second in command within the council, tied alongside yourself Lady Mew as my highest ranking advisor and hereby state that should the two of you vote together, any decisions either one of you makes can overthrow my own authority if need be. I do not wish to have all the clout in the council and hereby pass the torch onto the two of you to overrule me if need be, this is my judgement and so mote it be. I do however Lady Mew, have one request that I might humbly ask of you in your decisiveness,_ ' Arceus proclaimed formally as Mew opted to hear him out, wondering what he wanted.

' _What do you wish for father,_ ' she whispered, wondering what was on his mind and wishing the omnipotence paradox wouldn't invalidate her own supremacy so that she could breach his impenetrably defensive, infinite mindscape. It made being able to tell what her dear old dad was thinking very hard, but perhaps he preferred it that way and she'd be lying if she said she didn't like being kept on her toes. Finally after a small, agonizing eternity Arceus answered her questioning response to his request.

' _Until Ash is of an appropriate age in human terms, which is to say until he is 13 years old and considered a legal adult anywhere in any region on Pokeearth, I humbly request that you yourself handle both your position in the council and his own. In this time you will be granted the combined powers that both of you would have possessed individually had you two voted together on something, until such a time where the Chosen One is ready to split the power between you and him,_ ' Arceus requested as all the legendary Pokemon gasped outright in shock at him. Celebi immediately protested upon realizing what was happening as Mesprit and the others were simply surprised. ' _But father you can't be serious; I'll be the first one to admit that Lady Mew has surprised us many times these past months but if I'm not mistaken you are essentially giving her more power and authority by herself than the entire rest of the council, yourself included. She'd have the power and authority to rule us all and would have complete and utter mastery over the omnipotent original powers that you yourself built into the foundations of our world! Surely you mustn't believe she could be a responsible leader,_ ' she vehemently, violently protested as Mew wondered not for the first time why the time traveling goddess had such a grudge against her.

' _Okay what's your deal Celebi?! I've never been anything but nice to you in all the years I've known you yet for some weird reason you've always hated me, why exactly is that?!_ ' Mew hissed sassily as Celebi glared at her as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. ' _You really can't see it can you?! All that unlimited power, the all-seeing eyes, the nigh omniscience, the infinite perception, and you're still blind to what is right in front of you! I can't believe you would even ask me such a question, but then again you really must not know anything because there is no way you'd try and defend yourself if you knew what the hell was going on outside of your little la-la land,_ " Celebi shouted back just as angrily as Arceus and the others sweat dropped at their heated exchange.

' _Oh my, it seems I have created some tension with my decision,_ ' Arceus commented dryly as Mesprit snickered and Victini tried to hold her laughter in behind her hands while Jirachi simply floated there half asleep. Part of the price she paid for having unlimited wish granting powers was a very inconvenient sleep cycle, well at least inconvenient for the humans. Arceus designed it this way for her species so that the humans couldn't just take advantage of her wish granting powers whenever they wanted; the sleep cycle of her entire species coinciding with the appearance and thousand year disappearance of a special meteor containing unlimited cosmic power that could be used to amp a Jirachi's wish granting powers whenever they needed it. Fortunately for the first of their kind, the Jirachi right here in front of them was no longer in need of the meteor's power and could grant unlimited wishes an infinite amount of times within the seven day period she was awake, possessing her species natural abilities at unnatural, unspeakable levels.

Of course she could have simply wished herself out of her sleep cycle but liked the peace it brought her, not to mention the fact that the humans knew it was pointless trying to rouse her out of her dormant state; so they instead went absolutely insane trying to hunt down her and her kind to have all their wishes come true within the seven day period. Shaking himself out of his musing at Jirachi's story and mentally remarking on the fact that her species' eternal sleepiness was an Ultra-Versal constant now, Arceus smiled benignly and decided to end the fight before both girls woke the sleeping baby standing three feet below them.

' _If you guys would be so kind as to quiet down, Celebi my decision to entrust this authority and power to Mew is final, you'll just have to live with it I'm afraid. I fully trust in her abilities as our secret leader and in light of recent events I have been continually surprised by you lady Mew, such is my shock now that I am all too happy to leave the fate of our council in your hands. Sometimes it amazes me how far people and Pokemon alike will go when somebody puts a little faith in them for the first time, entrusts them with certain responsibilities. I believe now that because of my baseless decision, one that was purely coincidental and made totally on a whim, your fate is tied to that of the Chosen Ones Mew; I think that you may find yourself to be quite the wildcard in impending calamity, Omninoir won't be expecting such a powerful being to be protecting his number one target and he certainly won't expect whatever new... relations may arise now that you're part of Ash's life now,_ ' Arceus said knowingly, making Mew briefly wonder if he had seen the same futuristic vision she had seen or if he was just making a highly educated guess based on the way she'd been acting around the baby version of him. She found herself inwardly snorting at the mere thought of it; she didn't have any kind of future with Ash in _that_ way, even if people as a whole didn't frown on Pokephilea she still knew for a fact that Ash was destined to become bonded by the soul to Amber Valentino and Serena Yvonne, his fellow chosen champions. Even if she ended up developing a crush on him as he matured nothing would come of it, it just couldn't could it?

Arceus sensed that Mew was deeply considering what he was saying and as she no doubt suspected he had indeed foreseen that rather interesting teaser from the future; having not foreseen such a thing before in all his time spent scanning the vastness of the Omni-temporal continuum but wondering if his decision to make her his guardian had resulted in some kind of anomalous turn of events appearing and superimposing itself upon the already predestined futures that were set in motion for the Chosen Ones at the beginning of the universe. It was something to think about later, right now he knew that with Ash's last minutes in his four hour sleep cycle running out and the sunrise impending; he and his daughters had to make haste and leave this place. Mere humans could not see them that much was a given due to the nature of their total invisibility; but baby Ash was another matter and Arceus did not wish to startle him or otherwise stress him out.

' _Come on you guys, we should probably leave, Celebi, Jirachi, Mesprit, Victini, Meloetta, time to return to your stations,_ ' Arceus suggested somewhat urgently as the baby's eyes started to begin the slow process of opening and taking in the world around him. As he somewhat expected however, Mew spoke up loud and clear, getting all their attention while slowly levitating herself lower and lower until she was almost lying on top of Ash's crib right beside him. ' _If it's alright with you father, I would like to stay and begin my duties right away,_ ' she said with a hopeful tone as Arceus nodded with a gentle smile and even Celebi's glare softened a tad as she and Mew locked eyes for a moment. In one last flash of golden light, Arceus and the other legends were gone, leaving an invisible Mew and a now fully awake baby Ash who immediately felt the weight press down on the bed beside him.

Everything felt different now since emerging from the safety of that place, what that strange man in white had called the womb of his mother Delia. Ash's now infinite mindscape and all his other gifts immediately made him aware of things no ordinary baby should have been able to know, and his mind took in everything around him, the scents, the tastes, the sights, everything audible within a twenty foot radius, and his undeveloped brain just continually absorbed and neatly organized all the infinite information he was inundated with, the strange visions within his own mind while he dreamed, and everything else in a whole new world full of unlimited wonders and possibilities. Perhaps the most amazing thing of all he'd seen so far, aside from the one dubbed Delia Ketchum, or the baby's mother as some also called her, was the strange blue creature that somewhat resembled him back when he was a fetus only looking far more developed and maybe even something totally different to what he was. His main questions in life at this moment however, were who was he and where did he come from? As if sensing his thoughts, the blue fetus-like creature giggled slightly, her voice echoing perfectly clear in his head.

' _You're a curious one aren't you, already wondering who and what you are, I didn't do that until I was already four years old and that was a very long time ago believe me,_ ' the girl continued to giggle as she said this, while the baby processed all of this and formed some more questions. It was amazing this new life, every time he discovered one answer a thousand new questions would appear, he hadn't been this enticed in all the time he spent in the womb and quickly realized this creature could understand and hear him. The one thing he hadn't been able to shake in that womb was the loneliness, being the only thing in existence was a somewhat empowering yet somewhat solitary confinement, and he now realized for the first time that there was so much more to him than that.

' _Who are you?_ ' he questioned mentally, trying to sit up or move around in his crib but quickly growing frustrated with how weak he was in this infant body. ' _My name is Mew, and your name is Ash. You've been asleep for a long time but now the time has come for the world to know who you are,_ ' Mew smiled gently, realizing that this boy was experiencing everything for the first time and trying her best to simplify everything so as to help him along. But with such a basic understanding of things and such limited knowledge of the world he now lived in, this was going to be exceedingly difficult. ' _What's the world Mew_ ,' he wondered, quickly reasoning out that out here he was called Ash and she was called Mew, but beyond that he didn't know much of anything else.

Mew giggled fondly at his question, ' _that's not an easy question for me to answer Ash, maybe when you're a bit older and seen a bit more of it_ ,' she promised him as Ash seemed to accept this and quickly grew restless. ' _Ugh, why can't I do anything?_ ' he cried frustratingly as Mew moved over to comfort him, understanding that he was feeling weak and vulnerable and wanting to reassure him that she was here to protect him. ' _Ash calm down, you're still only a baby, and babies start out weak and in a state of complete dependency; it's actually kind of inconvenient that you're so smart and question everything, most babies just accept these kinds of things and don't really understand that they're going to get bigger, and bigger, and bigger,_ ' Mew cooed with adoration, poking Ash's belly with her tail every time she said bigger and eliciting a happy squeal from him, a squeal that melted her heart as he grabbed onto her tail with his hands and pulled it up against his chest, effectively trapping her there with him.

' _Listen, I know you probably want to just get up and explore and learn all kinds of things, but there is still a lot of time left before you need to wake up and it would probably be best if you slept some more,_ ' she suggested half-heartedly, not really feeling inclined to force the issue and wanting to play with him a bit. ' _I don't want to, I already did that lots and lots,_ ' he telepathed, learning more and more words every second and speaking in the otherwise unknowable language of babies, well unknowable to adult humans, but other babies and omni-lingual tongues could decipher it just fine. It was primitive, instinctual, and dated back to primordial times, but it was still a language and therefore still decipherable by omni-lingualists.

Mew could sense that Ash was going to be stubborn in his desire to stay awake and given the fact that Victini had insured he would only ever get four hours of sleep every night before he was making a fuss and waking up the whole house, she knew it would be up to her to teach him how to sleep for the sake of sleeping; as thoughtful as Victini's gift was, Mew knew it would be guaranteed to drive Delia Ketchum batty when her son only gave her four hours of peace every night. Being a cat who loved a good thirty year catnap every few thousand years or so, Mew well understood that sleeping could be done for no reason at all other than to lounge around and be lazy; hopefully teaching Ash how to sleep this way would not only help Delia but also help him to relax and take it easy when it really counted.

She also understood that Ash would have too much energy right now to sleep if she merely suggested it, and so she decided to try another, more subtle approach, one that would never make him any the wiser. She decided to sing, her famous and yet infamous lullaby, the legendary lullaby of the ancient blue Mew something many Pokemon throughout the world sought to hear. Some humans had even come across her singing at times and had been irresistibly drawn to her voice, describing it as the voice of a celestial maiden from heaven. Meloetta was not wrong when she said the power of music was essentially limitless in its possible applications, and Mew herself had developed this lullaby by tapping into the same omni music manipulation that her fellow legend prized so much. It was an old hobby of hers that she did just for fun, and so she began to sing her heavenly tune, humming the infamous lullaby that had only succeeded to make her more famous than she already was.

A gentle thrum of soothing, limitless power began lolling over Ash as she sung the most beautiful sound he'd ever heard in all his tiny life, wondering what she was doing and drawn in by her voice, by her... everything as he felt his eyelids getting heavy. The heavens above were responding to her voice in pure delight as she sang to him. He may not have been living very long, but this was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for him; her voice was as beautiful as that of the strange and beautiful girl he had seen in his sleep, a girl who had blue and pink streaks in her obsidian hair and baby blue eyes, eyes that were eerily similar to Mew's own. He hadn't known who this girl was and wondered to himself if she was someone he had yet to meet, but the way Mew sang was just as beautiful as this girl he had seen only one time in the land of his sleep. Knowing that he would never forget this beautiful lullaby this Mew sang to him, Ash felt his eyelids getting heavier against his will, and within seconds the power of the song carried him off the world of his dreams. And he fell asleep with her tail wrapped in his arms and her invisible body now fast asleep next to his, having been put to sleep by her own song as Ash's blanket secured itself around the two of them of its own accord and the smiling, transparent form of Arceus watched over them without their knowing.


	2. Prologue Part 2: The First Years

_Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or its characters, all non AU elements and OC's are property of their respective owners. I make no profit from this whatsoever._

_Dedicated to DD AKA Dimension Distorter, hope you enjoy this one mate because I sure as hell will._

Prologue Part 2: The First Years

Ash Ketchum was four years old now and had learned what most grownups didn't learn till their thirties; how to take care of himself. That said he still depended on his mother for a lot of things and hadn't yet learned to cook or do many of the things he would need to do once he began his Pokemon journey. He had learned to walk at little over one year old, could talk by time he was two, and learned to read by time he turned four. Astonishingly to his mother Delia he was learning at a rate no ordinary child should've been able to learn at; Ash himself was already reading researcher level books on Pokemonology that only ingenious scientists understood typically.

It was said that human beings used only ten percent of their brains; Ash himself must've been the exception or something because all the kids his age could barely speak and most of them couldn't even read the childish picture books properly let alone highly advanced material with all the complicated, scientific terms Ash didn't have any trouble following. His mother continued to be amazed by his progression rate and realized early on that her child was going to be exceptional in many respects. Within the first few months of his fourth year she was already starting to entrust him with more responsibilities and treat him more like an adult than a kid; something Ash's shockingly mature mind was quite appreciative of.

He was currently doing his morning rituals just as his alarm clock went off; he shut it up and could smell his mother cooking breakfast downstairs. His heightened sense of smell picked up on Kalosian toast, bacon, and fried eggs; his favorite breakfast. His body was currently in its typical state of indefatigable vigor once he awoke from his nightly four hour sleep; having learned that most people couldn't function on a four hour sleep cycle like he could and opting to keep himself quietly occupied during the early hours of the morning.

It had taken him very little time to become best friends with his dear little friend Mew, and just a little more time to figure out why nobody else could see her and why it was best nobody else ever did. Having looked up her species in the many books he had on the subject of Pokemon, he was greeted with a rather startling revelation. She was one of the _legendary_ Pokemon, perhaps the strongest one of all but of course nobody had believed him when he told them of his _imaginary friend_. Of course he quickly stopped trying, not that Mew minded so much; in fact she laughed at the futility of his efforts and was quick to remind him that her selective imperceptibility allowed her to remain undetectable by any means to anybody but him.

Of course once he realized how valuable her kind was to the human race and that some people would kill to get their hands on a legendary entity like her; he never brought it up with anyone again, even his mom. "Ash, breakfast is ready," his mother called up in her ever kind voice. "Coming," Ash shouted down the stairs before hurrying to get changed out of his pajamas and into his usual daily attire, which composed of a yellow and red tee shirt with a red Pokeball pattern on either side and rolling up his jeans into shorts just like he liked it. His mother had actually cut off a lot of his jean legs and turned them into makeshift denim shorts, because even at four years of age Ash had his own personal sense of style; his own preference to clothes and how he looked.

Quickly ending his reverie and opting to run downstairs once he deemed himself ready, Ash bolted downstairs into the kitchen where his senses were greeted with the smell he had caught a faint whiff of upstairs, times ten. His mother still looked much the same as she ever did; light brown hair, brown eyes, and in her early twenties with her near permanent smile on her face. There were only a few times in his life when Ash had seen his mother cry, in the late hours of the night when she thought he was asleep and couldn't see or hear her. He had quickly worked out her occasional sadness had something to do with his father and the fact he had apparently left them after she had given birth to him.

Ash had asked about his father at age three since he figured he had a right to know about him, and was surprised and astounded when his mother told him flat out. "Your father was an amazing man, and the most powerful Pokemon master in all of history. I see so much of him in you Ash, that same ability to take the world of Pokemon by storm," she whispered soothingly, and Ash could remember nodding quietly as he listened to her talk about him into the late hours of the night, her little boy's curfew quite forgotten as Ash fell asleep in her arms and woke up in his bed the next morning. His first word had been ' _Pokemon_ ' naturally, and he loved Pokemon to a level he wasn't sure was healthy; more like borderline obsession. His second word in the adult human lingual was ' _Mew_ ', much to the surprise of his mother whom had only seen her husband's legendary Pokemon a select few times.

He didn't have many friends in his home of Pallet town; Gary Oak was mean though his older sister Daisy was nice and super cute to boot, though she was nine years old and thus a little old for him. It didn't take Ash long to start harboring small puppy love crushes and for him to understand the meaning of it once Delia explained the concept of young love to him. One girl in particular, a girl nicknamed Leaf and who nobody in town knew the real name of; was a pretty little girl Ash's age with light brown hair, green eyes, and a rather annoying fear of these microscopic organisms called ' _cooties_ '. His mother had also explained cooties didn't actually exist and were simply a made up thing parents told their children about to make them weary about pursuing a love interest until they were old enough.

His mother didn't beat around the bush nor did she keep things from him until he was older; somehow understanding he wasn't like other kids and would never abuse the knowledge he gained. As a result, Ash was perfectly uninhibited in some respects but had learned to respect that kids his age didn't typically know or even understand the things he understood. Then there was his friend the legendary Mew, another pretty girl even if she was a Pokemon most of the time. He had plans to go see her today and ask her play with him in the forest, but had something else weighing on his mind to; something he'd been meaning to discuss with his mother for many months now.

"Honey, what're you thinking about?" his mother interrupted his train of thought, snapping him out of his reverie as he jumped up into the table seat across from her, his short legs not reaching the floor but he refused to sit at the kiddy table his mother had mistakenly set up for him in his toddler years. "Hmm, oh nothing mom, just reminiscing on all the things I've learned since the day I was born," Ash informed her nonchalantly. Delia was always surprised to hear those kinds of words coming from the mouth of such a young child; but she had grown used to it by now and frankly it was commonplace for the two of them to discuss very mature subjects. Ranging from finances, to the laws in Kanto, and even what she knew about the subject of Pokemon even though Ash's knowledge base on the subject now easily outstripped her own. Amazingly enough he was even more Pokemon crazed than his father had been; the number of times he had played with the Pokemon at professor Oak's laboratory ranch was truly immeasurable, and despite the fact he had no Pokemon of his own he made his way into the forests on route one on almost a daily basis where somehow all the wild Pokemon seemed to love and gather around him in droves. Some of them even played with him to, it was truly amazing to watch and Delia had taken to following him to make sure he was okay.

He seemed to relate better to Pokemon than people; something she was desperately trying to break him out of ; but it was difficult especially considering how some of the other kids reacted around him. Pallet town wasn't the most populated place in the world, and the number of kids was already scant as is. But add to that Ash's prodigious nature and his astounding ability to excel at anything and everything he and the other kids played together; they quickly grew tired of losing to him at tag or hide and seek or any of the other games they played. The only child in town who seemed to relate to his distancing himself from the others was Greta's daughter Leaf, and that was because she was incredibly shy which also made it difficult for her to open up to Ash as well.

Delia sighed as she watched Ash eat his breakfast diligently; having inherited his father's insatiable appetite Delia knew she was going to have to teach him something she never could teach his father. Proper table manners were a must if Ash was going to be able to go on a first date someday without his eating habits grossing the girl in question out; so she had already taught him a great deal and as was typical of him Ash was extremely quick to pick up on this new skill.

"So, what're your plans for today Ash? Professor Oak called and has invited us over for dinner later on but you've got the whole afternoon and most of the morning to do whatever you want. So do you want to watch a movie, play with Leaf, or even go down to the forest? I'm sure the Pokemon would like that, and I'm sure you'd love to play with the Pokemon at professor Oak's ranch as well later this evening," Delia suggested as Ash took a second to swallow before answering her. He seemed deeply contemplative about something, and Delia gave him a moment to gather his thoughts, somehow sensing that whatever he had to say would be important.

"To be honest mom I've been thinking a lot lately about my future. I'm four years old now which means I've got less than ten years until I'm ready to begin my Pokemon journey. I'm ready to start making real preparations for my journey by time I turn 13," Ash finally admitted, having given this matter a lot of thought these past months and wanting to start taking things more seriously now that he finally had an idea of what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. Delia looked surprised by his admission, but quickly recovered. "And have you thought about what you want to do with your life once you begin your journey?" she reminded him, having promised to talk more about this with him once he figured out what dream it was he wished to pursue.

"I wanna take the entire Pokemon world by storm by mastering the art of Pokemon battling on an infinite, truly omnipotent level the likes of which even my father would be envious of. I'm planning to take over the family business mom. I'm going straight for the top just as my father did, and I am going to beat him in the world championship league just as he did Professor Oak. This is what I want in life; it is my dream to become the absolute best trainer like nobody ever has before. To redefine what it means to be a Pokemon Master on a scale no world champion before me has ever dreamed of doing before," Ash responded lengthily and with a level of maturity, passion, and intelligence that shocked even his mother upon hearing the kinds of words he said coming out of his mouth. She had always known he was smart, unnaturally so actually; but even she had no idea her son was _this_ brilliant or this committed to much of _anything_ at such a young, tender age.

"You've given this a lot of thought then, haven't you?" Delia smiled, unable to retain her sense of pride upon hearing Ash's heartfelt speech. Like father like son it seemed; despite the fact that her husband had left them without really explaining why she knew it had to be for a good reason. Besides, at least he still sent them both birthday and Christmas presents not to mention Easter candy and everything. The Santa Delibird was also extremely kind and generous to Ash every Christmas, and every Christmas morning Delia would be shocked by how many presents were addressed to her and Ash underneath the tree.

Ash nodded to her question mutely, unable to form coherent words at the moment due to the raw emotion he felt from pouring his heart out into delivering that speech. He was absolutely certain beyond the shadow of a doubt this was what he wanted, he just didn't realize how badly he wanted this until he admitted it to his mom. Now he knew he would work tirelessly and indefatigably to achieve his goal, and given the fact that his energy levels truly were inexhaustible except for four measly hours during the 24 hour day; he knew he would be able to truly work his ass off in the coming years in preparation for his journey.

Delia beamed at him, her pride coursing through her tenfold now as she realized her son was following in his father's footsteps; which despite her mixed feelings about Red was a good thing in her opinion. She may not have known why he left anymore than Ash did, but maybe Ash would prove he could be a world champion and a husband and father both at once. Red had always had difficulty balancing between his life at home and his life spent basking in the glory and grandeur of being the most powerful man in the universe. She was confident however that Ash would make one helluva amazing champion. She had always known her Ash was meant for great things and couldn't shake the inexplicable feeling he'd go even further than he was envisioning; which was saying a lot because the world championship was considered the most sought after Pokemon related dream job a person could aspire towards.

"Well, if that is truly what you want then I'll do whatever it takes to support you Ash," Delia promised with nothing but warmth in her tone. Ash was a little surprised by her immediate full support because if he was being honest with himself he was a little nervous to admit his dream to his mother, but it was a nice surprise nevertheless. "That's actually a huge relief mom. I was kind of nervous you'd shut me down or something because of what happened with dad. I promise you if I ever do end up having a family, children, and a wife of my own; then I would never, ever put my career as the world champion over them like dad did with you," Ash admitted, and Delia's smile turned somewhat sad upon thinking of her husband who seemingly vanished off the face of the earth.

"I wouldn't do that Ash if this was truly your dream. Whatever negative feelings I may harbor towards your father has nothing to do with you and whatever you choose to pursue in life. Just know that your dream to master Pokemon battling like your dad and become the world champion is not going to be an easy one and will take you, many, many years Ash. First off you'd have to emerge victorious through all the various Pokemon leagues ranging from Kanto all the way to Kalos on the other side of the world; beating every trainer, Elite Four member, and regional champion along the way some of whom would want this as badly as you do.

Assuming you do make it that far, and I have no doubt that you can, you'd then be entered into the world championship tournament and have to beat all four members of the Golden Elite Four before you could challenge your father for the World Championship crown and trophy. Also as world champion you don't just host Pokemon league tournaments and fight top tier trainers of the world; you'll have certain aspects of your career that aren't necessarily battle oriented and that you might not enjoy the responsibility of as much. You're going to be in charge of all the regional Pokemon leagues and all of the affiliations like the International Police, the Pokemon G-Men, and even the Pokemon Rangers for starters. Another thing is that you'll be in charge of the entire Worldly Pokemon League Association and even be in charge of the laws of each and every region and every continent across the entire world. You'll be a world leader Ash politically, legally, and might even receive messages and requests from the Legendary Pokemon whenever they catch wind of some global disaster and then have to deal with it as well. Basically you'll be responsible for protecting the peace on a global scale and will be the world leader as well as its champion; the one every living thing on earth both human and Pokemon alike. Do you understand Ash? Even if you do make it to where your father did holding the job will be a monumental task and the only way you could truly be retired is by being beaten in your Pokemon League tournament by a challenger. Any challengers to the Pokemon World Championship Tournament are challengers you are required by law to fight with all of your strength," Delia explained to him, surprised when he nodded in perfect knowledge and understanding of the subject.

"I know, I already looked all of that up. I also read you can be retired if something happens to you during your tenure as the world champion, but the only way that can happen nowadays is if you die. Especially considering one full powered heal pulse from a level infinity Pokemon can heal everything ailing you whether it's sickness or disease, even a crippled and vegetative state," Ash rattled off intelligently as Delia nodded sadly. "Unfortunately Ash, I doubt even the death clause would be an option for you," she whispered under her breath, surprised when Ash still heard her.

"What do you mean by that?" he questioned, his eyes wide with astonishment at her words. "You'll understand someday Ash, for now we need to focus on what it is you plan to do and how you plan to prepare for your Pokemon journey when you turn 13," Delia said, having been one of the select few parents who approved of the change in laws recently. 13 was actually a much better age to be allowed to begin a Pokemon journey than 10 since most teenagers were smarter on the road and more mature than most 10 year old kids. Most parents didn't see it this way however and were outraged by this but Delia was strangely relieved since it gave her more time to spend with her little boy at home. That did not mean however that she was content with trapping him here against his will, because if he was even remotely like his father once he started his journey to the top he'd never be able to stop traveling.

Ash nodded and began to list off how he planned to start off with a bang. "If you and professor Oak are willing to help me I'd like to learn how to cook everything you know how to cook mom; including everything you made for my dad's champion level Pokemon and what their feeding requirements were… everything. I'd also like to have unrestricted access to all of the Pokemonology information at professor Oak's lab and maybe even volunteer there if he'll let me. I want to know all that humanity currently knows; legendary Pokemon, starter Pokemon, Pokemon feeding and mating habits, Pokemon physiology, Pokemon movesets and abilities, Pokemon legends across the entire world including the legends surrounding things like the Santa Delibird, the Easter Lopunny, and other things. I want to dedicate my time to studying all fields of knowledge no matter how obscure, including all the thousands of years of recorded human encounters with legendary Pokemon," Ash declared, once again surprising Delia with just how advanced and mature his vocabulary truly was.

He was without a doubt the smartest child she'd ever known, and something about it seemed almost beyond human at times. Then again, nothing about him had ever really been normal; hell he'd never even been sick before in his life; and despite his astounding ability to keep quiet at night she also knew he only ever got about four hours of sleep every night yet still had inexhaustible energy during the day. She still remembered the day he had been born, how his birth had healed everyone in the hospital with their… everything. Even the people with freshly amputated limbs had them fully regenerated and without any of the dangers present that led to them getting said limbs amputated in the first place.

It was at this precise moment where she resolved to do absolutely _everything_ she could to help Ash realize his dream. "I'll talk to professor Oak about it Ash. I'm sure he won't mind; in fact I'm fairly certain he'll be quite proud of how far you're willing to go and the level of planning and preparation you're willing to put into your pre journey years because a lot of children aren't that committed, especially at your age. I don't think you realize how unique you really are Ash. Just remember that learning from Professor Oak and me is not going to be easy. If you want to learn everything we know then you're going to have to commit to our teachings with absolute focus and determination, do you understand?" Delia warned him, and she was glad once again when Ash nodded once again with the same steely determination as before, totally adamant on seeing this through to the bitter end.

"Good, now come with me out to the garage. I want to show you something before we go off to professor Oak's this evening, something you'll find very, very interesting and educational I think!" Delia smiled mysteriously, unable to contain her excitement at Ash's reaction when she dug out the DVDs she kept in there and had burned videos onto them from their original video tapes using a special device that converted VHS videos into DVDs files. It had taken some help from a computer expert she hired using Red's limitless funds, which he had left to her and Ash when he had mysteriously vanished, but she had managed to digitally enhance the quality of all the video files contained on those CD's and had even let the computer expert burn them on some disks of his own to so he could show his daughter them back home and she could watch them in preparation of her own journey.

Delia was generous and all, but she doubted many trainers would be able to truly emulate some of the absurdly complex and expert fighting styles displayed on those videos anyways. Ash on the other hand, was no doubt his father's son and if there was anyone on this entire earth who could take up Red's mantel it was the remarkable young, four year old boy whom she led out to the garage that very same day once the two of them finished breakfast. For the moment, Ash's plans to play in the forest with his ' _imaginary friend_ ' Mew were quite forgotten, though he knew she would probably come around whenever the coast was clear because she never left him alone for too long.

XXXXX

"Oh my Arceus, oh my Arceus, oh my Arceus, I can't believe this mom! You've been seriously holding out on me!" Ash squealed with pure delight once it became clear to him what the enormous stacks of professional quality compact disks were of. He was literally bouncing around in his exuberance, because what his mother now hand in her arms and was currently bringing with them back to the house, was a total accumulation of every recorded battle his father Red ever fought during his journeying years and during his years as world champion to while he fought and trained with the members of the golden Elite Four in an effort for them to stay sharp.

Apparently his father had wanted to reflect upon his battles and had the foresight to request a copy of his every gym match video after he won them, all of which were recorded in the video cameras hanging around the gym walls and stuff. Granted video surveillance wasn't as advanced back then as it was today but nearly every one of his father's gym battles and Pokemon League tournament victories had been recorded, which would give Ash endless hours of fun watching his father kick ass and education on how his old man fought and quite possibly any mistakes or weak points he may or may not have been able to glimpse in Red's fighting style. It was probably the best unofficial gift his mother had given him. Ultimately he supposed he should've known Delia had a record of all of Red's victories or nearly all of Red's Pokemon league victories since she was his wife, but as smart as Ash was it wasn't like he just automatically figured everything out beforehand and was no more immune to surprises than anybody else.

He couldn't wait to try these countless hours of video out; and his enthusiasm was infectious as Delia found herself grinning like an idiot to. Ash's mad passion was a rare privilege to witness, but when he did get all psyched up it was like gazing upon a bundle of pure, unlimited energy infused with every positive emotion in the entire universal spectrum. Ash's capacity for human emotions were truly second to none, but he usually had such a strong level of control and mastery over his emotions that she had a difficult time getting him to really come out of his shell like he was right now. She hoped that as he got older he'd learn to show this side of himself more because his enthusiasm and raw passion and bubbly happiness were so powerful and so palpable that she had no doubt he'd be the most popular, fun loving, and loved kid in town. She would have to try and encourage this kind of emotional release in the future, but right now she would take what she could get.

"Mom, can I go watch some of these?! Please, please, please, please," Ash repeated the mantra of pleases with such reverence and passion that Delia beamed once again. "Oh alright, go ahead, but be ready to go by five PM because Professor Oak is expecting us for dinner and I don't want to be late," Delia called after him somewhat halfheartedly, though she knew it was probably unnecessary given how punctual Ash was about everything. For such a young boy he was shockingly mature. After giving her the okay and a thumb up without so much as turning back around to face her, Ash run into the living room to turn on the TV while Delia went upstairs to take a hot shower and get ready to face the day.

XXXXX

Ash had spent at least two hours watching the first disk and was shocked by how long the videos on some of them were. Gym battles truly were something else; although many of them paled in comparison to the annual Pokemon leagues his mother and he watched every year they were still very impressive, and some of them were probably just as intense if not even more so. He had decided to start on the videos containing his father's Kanto journey and had been extraordinarily surprised by how naturally strong his Charizard and newly evolved Raichu were or how versatile Raichu's move pool really was. Granted his dad's father had enough money to buy him a golden trainer card so he could be granted all the same privileges as a champion level trainer of today and provide him with the best possible starter Pokemon which was a competitively perfect Charmander. But still, Pikachu's perfect stats were quite surprising and Ash had the strangest feeling that someway somehow all of Red's Pokemon were like this.

Ash had learned from studying that perfect Pokemon had the potential within them to become almighty examples of their species, a boundless inner world which lie dormant within them but allowed their powers to increase to infinity at an unnatural rate through what researchers nowadays called the ' _Infinitum Principle_ '. From what they had been able to gather, the outbreak of perfect Pokemon had only been during the last hundred years or so. And Mew had once told him it was because of legendary Pokemon like her kind mating with the more common species and what not. She told him all legendary Pokemon in existence were naturally not only obscenely powerful but also naturally perfect individuals of their species and thus applicable to the Infinitum Principle. She also told him that they were able to pass down these perfect genes through to their children both legendary and not every time they bred, so naturally many of the new generations of Pokemon babies in the wild were able to reach a level of infinity with a ridiculous level of ease.

It had been the request of a Pokemon Mew called Arceus that legendary Pokemon try and make friends with the more common species and to help ensure the survival of their species by bearing their exceptionally more naturally powerful children. It had also been at this point that Arceus had also created Pokemon like Ditto all of whom were perfect examples of their species to but were rarely ever trained to that level and instead transformed into a perfect copy of their opponents during the battles their trainers partook in. Mew also told him of a Pokemon called Kecleon and how it was ridiculously overpowered by normal Pokemon standards and how it could reach level infinity in as little as a few weeks under the right trainer. She then murmured something about Mystery Dungeon mechanics and UV mechanics being similar regarding Kecleon's ridiculous natural base powers but Ash hadn't understood what that had meant.

All and all, Ash's wealth of knowledge on the subject of Pokemon didn't come simply from books and despite what people said about Mew he knew that what she was telling him was accurate at least, and knew she had to be real. As he focused on watching his father's gym battles and jotted things down in his notebook like mad; he noticed that Red's Charizard and Pikachu were two of his most commonly used Pokemon and that Pikachu was probably his first wild caught Pokemon or something. In the time following his journey from Pewter city gym all the way to Viridion city, and during his continued battles with Team Rocket in places that were surprisingly public and recorded in video, Ash noticed he had captured a Snorlax, Lapras, Venasaur, Blastoise, and even all the known Eeveelutions at the time to name a few. All of them were somehow perfect examples of their species, and he found himself wondering why just as he felt the all too familiar presence of Mew suddenly materializing in the living room and floating down to the couch on his side; mildly intrigued by what he was watching as her baby blue eyes fixed him with her adorable, hypnotic stare that seemed to peer into his very soul.

' _What's up Ash, you sleep well today_?' she purred nonchalantly in his head, stretching out on the couch and resting her head on his lap, her impossibly long tail wrapping around his waist like it always did whenever she tried to keep him from wandering off too far. ' _I slept fine actually, I'm just in the middle of preparing for my eventual Pokemon journey_ ,' Ash admitted as Mew gave the TV set an onceover before returning her attention to him. ' _Oh I see, so you're taking an interest in your father's career then_ ,' it wasn't really a question Ash noticed. He nodded and returned to taking notes on everything his father did so he could brainstorm later on how he could improve on his father's original style, wanting to travel his Pokemon journey his way and wanting to do so in a way completely different from his father. He didn't want to be the same kind of world champion his father had been he wanted to take this world by storm in ways nobody ever had before. So he watched and learned how his father had done things and planned to come up with his own strategy, but a foundation for Pokemon mastery training couldn't be built on nothing so he needed to understand how a future Pokemon master went about achieving their dream; as some sort of guideline or springboard to propel himself upward towards the endlessly high climb that was mastering the art of Pokemon battling omnipotently.

' _So you want to follow in Red's footsteps eh_?' she cajoled playfully, her baby blue eyes locked on his as Ash found himself momentarily distracted by her presence and decided to watch the rest of his videos later. "Of course I do," he said out loud without meaning to, having been able to speak to Mew in his mind for such a long time that he didn't often speak to her any other way except in unguarded moments. Something about the telepathic conversations between them felt more personal, and Mew had been his best and only true friend for all of his life; watching over him ever since he could remember. Now four years old, Ash was easily smart enough to know that many people would kill to capture a Pokemon of her caliber and use her as a weapon or some kind of source for unlimited scientific input and advancements in power, medicine, and technology, but Ash was only interested in being her friend and playing with her for the longest time. It wasn't that he was oblivious to the fact that she was a legendary being of godlike abilities, it was just that he'd never really given it much thought or even cared simply because she was so much freaking fun to play with and was the only friend he ever had.

' _Shh not so loud your mom will hear you_ ,' Mew giggled, playfully admonishing him with a flicking motion of her tail and a mischievous grin etched on her cute little mouth. Ash nodded quietly and resumed their conversation via the mind. ' _Of course I want to follow in my father's footsteps; I've given it a lot of thought recently and I realized I want to become the most powerful trainer the world has ever or will ever know. I hope that when I do leave to go on my Pokemon journey you'll consider coming with me, not because you're some all-powerful legendary entity but because you're my best friend Mewie_ ,' Ash cooed adoringly, praying to whatever gods might be listening that she would accept his humble request, but to his disappointment she shook her head.

' _Once you're thirteen years old and have Pokemon of your own to protect you then I won't be needed so much anymore. I'll still watch over you from time to time from a distance, and I'll always be your friend Ash; but I'm a free agent and a legendary Pokemon, I plan to keep it that way for as long as I can, maybe even forever. Besides I'm not interested in all that competitive battling and being trapped in one of your Pokeballs until you decide to let me out and stuff so I can fight other Pokemon for you. I'm not saying you would do that, and I know you respect me a great deal, but I'm a wild, untameable, and omnipotent force of nature Ash; I'm not meant to be kept in a Pokeball and made to battle other Pokemon. I mean think about it, if you already had a Pokemon on your team who was naturally omnipotent and could do and be literally anything, wouldn't that defeat the purpose of getting stronger and working your way towards your father's level in the first place_?' Mew explained to him with flawless logic, and as he thought about it he realized she had a good point.

' _I suppose you're right, it wouldn't be anywhere near as much fun to battle gym leaders or even the Elite Four if I had a Pokemon who could completely curb stomp the competition ready and raring to go right off the Crobat; especially since I would be ignoring all of my other Pokemon's hard work to do so. But what about when I'm already a world champ? Would you consider being my Pokemon partner then? I love you Mew, you're my best friend and I want us to be together forever, even if you don't battle for me or do anything I just want us to always be together_ ,' Ash admitted with such reverence and adoration that Mew was momentarily stunned. This boy had been full of profound surprises ever since she first met him but hearing him confess how much her friendship truly meant to him was not something she was expecting to hear. She wasn't afraid to admit she had grown quite fond of Ash as well, and was even tempted by the idea of battling Pokemon on his behalf so long as they actually posed a suitable challenge for her to overcome.

Battling any commonplace Pokemon species, even level infinity ones; was not going to present the desperate challenge she found herself craving more and more and would simply bore her. She was growing too complacent and too lazy and lethargic being in Pallet town with Ash so long she supposed. Even the wilds of the forest of Route 1 didn't have its usual appeal anymore and quite frankly she'd been thinking about leaving to go on a journey herself for quite some time. It wasn't that she didn't love the lap of luxury here or the occasional bowl of hot milk and Pokemon food Ash brought out to her without his mother's knowing, not that her body needed sustenance or anything but what cat Pokemon didn't love milk. But she was just itching to get back out there and see what the world had to offer her now with all the advancements that had been made in competitive battling and stuff recently.

Still though, she had a job to do, and couldn't up and leave in the middle of the night when her four year old charge still depended on her; if it had been one of her own species the child would've been ready for living independently within the first year, but humans progressed and matured slower as a species than most legendary Pokemon. Lugia babies were about the same although a baby Lugia was not anywhere near as defenseless or dependant as a baby human, so even though their species mature at around the same rate they were vastly different in every other respect. She supposed she could ask Arceus if it was okay for her to take temporary leave or a vacation or something; he might even have allowed it so long as she used her omnipotent mindscape to keep her third, all-seeing psychic eye on things here from time to time. How upset could Ash really be that she wanted to take some time off to herself? Sure he may have enjoyed her friendship and playing with her for endless hours but Mew could only take so much babysitting before she needed to see what else was going on in the world. Ultimately Arceus's answer to her request could wait, she needed to broach the subject with Ash first because try as she might to resist, Ash had become the most important thing in her life and his opinion meant so much more to her than she ever cared to admit.

' _So um Mewie, what about when I'm world champion_ ,' Ash repeated somewhat hopefully, and Mew smiled sadly at him and got an idea as to how to broach the subject now. ' _How's about I make you a deal Ash? You see I've been itching to get out there and see the world right now and quite frankly I've run out of things to do in Pallet Town if I'm being perfectly honest! I'm planning to go away for some time and need to take a bit of a vacation if that is okay with you. Once I come back how's about I journey with you then, you don't have to wait until you're world champion but I do want you to respect the fact that I'm already a fully trained member of my species and will not accept challenges from anything but the very strongest Pokemon challengers! Do you understand that? I need to know you're okay with this though Ash, because if you're not then I'll stay but…_ ' Mew broke it off there, gazing at him hopefully and worried she might have said something to offend him as he simply remained silently and stared blankly at her, his expression unreadable.

Suddenly his face broke out into a grin, and he embraced her lovingly. ' _Oh Mewie, of course you can go see the world; I would never want to be the one to stand between you and a dream you have, I would never, ever trap you here Mew. You're my best friend and I would do anything for you; just promise me you'll come back sometime okay?!_ ' Ash whispered soothingly as Mew's eyes watered with tears of joy as she nuzzled into his chest, the size difference between them far more apparent now than when Ash was a baby as she purred in complete and utter content. ' _Oh Ash, you really are the sweetest boy I've ever met. Yes, I promise I'll come back, and when I do we'll be together and travel together forever, okay? I'm not going to leave right away I just wanted to bring this up with you and to make sure you're okay with it! Are you going to be okay without me for a while?!_ ' Mew gleefully exclaimed and she felt Ash nod in her tight embrace, unable to remember the last time she felt this happy or this excited and surprised by how much she looked forward to traveling with the boy she had protected since birth when he was a young man.

A flash of memory suddenly traveled through her mind's eye, a vision of her French kissing an older version of Ash, and she quickly let him go; fighting the urge to blush and purging dirty thoughts from her head, thoughts she should not be having about a four year old version of the young man from her futuristic visions. She was completely immortal and a Pokemon to boot; and there were laws against Pokephilea in the Kanto region as well, seriously harsh laws that spawned more from the human taboos than any actual genetic complications.

Ash was still too young for her anyways even if he was the sweetest human child she'd ever had the pleasure of meeting and even if she could easily wait for him to grow up a little; but that vision simply was _not_ possible, even now she could feel his soul resonating with those of Serena Yvonne and Amber Valentino all the way in Kalos. It was just some weird flash of falsified foresight in her mind; it gave her neither knowledge nor truth. It was simply a reflection of some profound desire on her end to live in a world where humans and Pokemon were truly able to bond and be together in the most unconventional sense imaginable. A world where anything was possible and where true love had absolutely no bounds, no limits, and no constraints; even between two different species. The combination of knowing Ash's destiny as a future Pokemon Champion of Totality and her desire for that kind of world must have been what sparked that vision and there was nothing more to it than that; there simply wasn't any other explanation for it.

Ash surprised her by standing up and turning the video of his father off and pulling her into a floating position above the floor. ' _Hey I know, we can go play by the ocean between Pallet and Cinnabar Island before you leave. It'll be fun, and maybe you can even teleport us to the island itself,_ ' Ash suggested, an adventurous gleam in his eyes as his words shocked Mew to her core, causing her to stare at him in a stupor with slacken jaws. ' _But Ash, you've never allowed me to do that with you before because you were always worried about your mom finding out about your disappearance and freaking out. Why the sudden change of heart? Not that I'm not pleased to hear your offer I'm just surprised that's all_ ,' Mew inquired with the endless curiosity her species and any other cat Pokemon prized.

Ash simply shrugged, the gesture looking positively odd on a four year old human child, yet he did it anyway without a care in the world. ' _I don't know, I guess I just wanted to give you a brilliant send-off or something before you go on your adventure. I want us to have fun in a completely new way so you have more incentive to come back to me, not that I think you need it, it's just that I want us to part on fantastic terms. Also don't worry about my mom, I'm sure I can come up with some excuse or something_ ,' Ash spoke with impossible love, his capacity for kindness so great in these moments that Mew found it very hard not to fall head over heels in love with the boy, which would be entirely inappropriate even if he was a shockingly mature four year old.

' _You truly have a heart of gold you know that Ash? I hate to be the one to disappoint you right now but to tell you the truth I'd rather just stay here and lounge around for a bit one last time before I go out. You can go if you want to, hell just say the word and I'll teleport you wherever you want to go in the entire world,_ ' Mew promised him, trying to make it fun for him and be able to relax a little bit herself before going off on her worldly excursion but somewhat surprised when Ash's shoulders slumped. ' _No it's okay Mewie, I think I'll just go and play in the forest. It's not as much fun to do that kind of stuff if you're not there with me_ ,' he sighed somewhat sadly, making Mew feel momentarily guilty as he started getting ready to head out for a bit and take a break from his studies, shouting to his mom about where he was heading and shutting the front door with a quiet snap once his shoes were tied and his mother gave him the go ahead. Mew meanwhile felt really bad for turning him down like that, but like any cat Pokemon she wanted what she wanted and nothing could change her mind once she knew what she wanted to do. She supposed she should've kept an eye on Ash in her infinite mindscape, but didn't think he could get into too much trouble given how peaceful things have been these past four years! Where was the harm in taking one day off just for herself, she didn't see any. If only she knew how wrong she was!

XXXXX

Ash felt surprisingly alone and dejected by Mew's initial refusal to take him up on his offer. She knew however that it was in her nature to ultimately do whatever she wanted and not feel too bad or too obliged to comply with other people's desires. It was selfish of her he supposed, but he had learned to look past her selfishness and love her for her. He understood this as readily as he did every book of factual knowledge he ever read; he understood Mew better than he probably understood anyone else. She in turn seemed to know him better than anyone; even his own mother could not claim to know the things about him that his little Mewie did. At least she had promised they would always be together so he knew he could never stay mad at or sad so long as she was around.

He wondered, not for the first time what their bond would be like when Ash himself was older and stuff; because sometimes he felt the same puppy love for her that he would Daisy Oak or Leaf, except a thousand times more intense. His body would get all warm and sometimes even sweaty when she hugged him, and his heart rate would dramatically increase, making him wonder if he was suffering from some form of heart condition or anxiety disorder on more than one occasion. Yet despite his paranoia, this kind of thing only seemed to happen when his Mew was around, and he didn't feel scared when it did; it actually felt really nice and more like the adrenaline rushes he experienced when he ran really hard or played tag with the Pokemon in the forest, like he was doing right now.

He didn't even have to think about running or chasing after the couple of Ratata and flying Pidgy he played with, he just did and had a great time doing it. He could even balance between playing this game and thinking about life back at the house at the same time; his mind was an amazing multi-tasking task master that way. "Gotcha," Ash shouted excitedly, lunching for the little Ratata just as Ratty darted under his feet and between his legs, narrowly evading his attempted effort to grab hold of her gently in his hands. She was smaller than the other Ratata in her litter and was much faster; having practically grown up with Ash in these forests, the two of them pulled pranks together on weary or stupid travelers and would steal a couple of packed lunches for themselves and have a light picnic with Mira and the others, laughing gleefully in their many hiding spots.

"Ratatata, raaaaat!" she laughed at him mockingly, causing him to mock glare at her in return as he continued the chase and she zipped through the forest like a speeding bullet. "I swear Ratty one of these days I'll catch you," Ash promised her, pushing his speed as far as his legs could carry them in an effort to catch up with his little friend, blissfully oblivious to the swiftly darkening daytime sky and the sudden chill in the air as he ran around a brush of small trees, stumps, and nettles.

"RAAAAAT, Schreeeeee!" his little friend suddenly squeaked at the top of her lungs from somewhere ahead of him, but not out of fun; complete, absolute fear. It was the kind of literally heart stopping fear rodent Pokemon express when they were about to die. Ash's eyes widened in horror upon recognizing the horrible sound and moved forward desperately to help her, but found it equally terrifying when he found out he couldn't move and was rooted to the spot like one of the surrounding trees.

As Ratty continued shrieking Ash struggled violently against whatever invisible force was holding him fast, tears streaming across his eyes as terror welled up inside of him and exploded out from him like bile. He struggled impotently against his imperceptible restraints, calling out Ratty's name in a choked, horrified mantra when her own cries went _deathly_ silent. "NOOOOOOOOOO, RATTY, PLEASE DON'T DIE! DON'T DIE, DON'T DIE, DON'T DIE, PLEASE! UGH, WHY THE HELL CAN'T I MOVE?! LET ME OUT OF HERE YOU STUPID… WHATEVER YOU ARE! I SWEAR IF YOU TOUCH ONE HAIR ON RATTY'S BODY I'LL… I'LL," Ash roared with impossible rage and fury, not expecting a response to his furious tirade, but to his response he received one.

' _ **You'll what Ash Ketchum? Believe me your little friend is dying to know, or perhaps she is already dead! I'll let you be the judge of that**_ ,' the most sick, sadistic, and disgustingly inhuman voice Ash had ever heard hissed at him, one that palpitated through the air and made everything go completely still and cold. Suddenly Ash felt like he could never possibly be cheerful again, like all the happiness, love, and positive energy had gone from the entire world. He nearly wretched as something dead was chucked at his feet from just beyond his line of thought further in the woods; a dead body resembling a…

Ash burst into uncontrollable sobs upon glimpsing Ratty's still, lifeless form, her normally vibrant, multicolored eyes staring emptily into infinity itself. He sank to his knees and cradled her lifeless body, attempting to somehow rouse her even though he knew it was in vein. "Please Ratty; please be okay, oh my God, please, please, _PLEASE_!" Ash shrieked like a banshee, agony beyond endurance surging through every fiber of his being at the nightmarish situation that had just occurred. Despite wishing this was some fucked up dream, Ash knew his four year old man was simply not able to envision any reality that was this screwed up! Something died inside of him in these very moments, and he wanted to lie down on the earth and never wake up again. If this was the real world he wanted no part in it whatsoever. Never had he experienced something so horrible or traumatic, and never again would be so complacent when something like this faceless son of a bitch existed out there.

He started trembling, but not out of sadness or fear; absolute, all-consuming, fiery rage and an insatiable thirst for vengeance rose up in him like a planet with a core about to explode. Only one thing mattered to him, killing the fucking piece of garbage, this sadistic shit who dared to come around and make Ash's life suddenly take a turn for the worst. Laughter greeted his angry thoughts, that son of a bitch was laughing at him.

' _ **My dear boy, I didn't come here simply to kill some vermin. I am here to kill you in actuality because life as a collective, omniversal whole is better off nonexistent. Not to worry my child, you will be joining your little friend in just a second, once I've slaughtered this entire forest and maybe even Viridion city beyond that if I'm lucky**_!' the disembodied voice telepathed to him nonchalantly, discussing his sick urge to commit mass murder with a four year old boy like it was absolutely nothing, like it didn't even mean anything. How the hell could anybody be so fucking touched in the head, let alone possess the power to render Ash a prisoner in his own body? "Go on and do it then, it's obvious I can't stop you anyways even though I want to more than anything; so you might as well kill me and get it over with. Why drag this out, because when my guardian angel finds out who and what you are you're going to be sorry you ever killed Ratty or threatened to kill even more people and Pokemon!" Ash hissed through gritted, sending a desperate telepathic cry for help to his Mewie to come rescue him, but something was interfering with the signal. Whatever wavelength their telepathic bond operated under was being disrupted by this unseen force of malice. Tears of sheer pain and terror overcame him, and just as he somehow sensed the monster rearing its ugly head back to attack, a massive pillar of golden light burst forth from the heavens above and rained down on top of Ash, repelling the darkness, the sadness, and the monster alike and whisking the four year old boy away to parts unknown and at near invariant speeds.

XXXXX

Ash had not been one to get motion sickness easily; hell he and Mew had taken to doing something she called omniversal displacement AKA teleportation whenever there was somewhere in town they wanted to go. He had even managed to hop one of the Rhyhorn at professor Oak's lab and ride it with a level of skill and proficiency that professor Oak said could rival Grace Yvonne herself one day. So he was pretty used to the feeling of motion and almost never stayed still. All of that however, paled in comparison to the absurd speed at which his body now moved through the golden tower of light, ascending past the highest heavens themselves and breaking into the realm of absurdity at beyond instantaneous speeds, so fast he moved across the face of infinite places and times in a split second; the very fabric of reality seeming to blur by him too fast to even comprehend.

So he doubted the motion sickness he suddenly felt overcome by wasn't justified, or that his projectile vomiting even made it back to earth since he had long since passed through the regions of space and kept right on going. He should have been moving too fast to make out his surroundings, but somehow it was more like time was slowing down to an infinite crawl all around him and he was speeding up his inertial frame of reference to near infinity. Having read a huge book on the laws of physics in the Viridion city library, Ash knew this was some form of time or even reality manipulation since humans couldn't move this fast without help from level infinity Pokemon or something. Then again, he was moving faster through his reference frame than was typical for humans to so maybe some form of acceleration was involved as well. It was hard to say, but case and point he was no longer motion sick and took the time to view his otherworldly surroundings as they passed him by at near sonic speeds but not anywhere near as fast as his inertia frame of reference was being accelerated.

His super fast mind processed what it wanted to see and he was amazed when he could no longer see the earth or even the sun or Milky Way galaxy beneath him anymore. ' _Where am I, this has to be some form of dream_?' Ash wondered in an absolute stupor, the sheer absurdity and surrealism of this situation finally bearing down on him like a ton of bricks. Maybe that monster had killed him and he was ascending into heaven to see Ratty again. Mew had explained to him how humans who died and who were pure of soul would automatically get sent to the realm of infinite desires without having to be judged by Giratina, the gatekeeper of the afterlife and the guardian of the metaphysical realm of hell. His mom was going to be distraught for the rest of her life, but at least she wouldn't have to live forever without seeing him again; at least he'd see Ratty again and at least his Mewie would come visit him in his Pokemon paradise. Nothing lasts forever he supposed, but he was only four years old and he still had so much to live for! Screw the realm of infinite desires, he hadn't even gotten to become a Pokemon master yet and he didn't want to just appear in a place where he already had everything he dreamed of; he wanted to work for it. It wasn't fair, why did he have to die so young?!

' _You are not dead young one, nor are you dreaming_ ,' a heavenly voice sang out to him in his mind, one laced with such raw power and yet gentle as the most feathery breezes. He could somehow sense it was meant to sound like the voice of the very being he loved and trusted the most, and was surprised to hear not his mother, but someone who sounded similar to Mew. It was more masculine and carried a note of regality and felt far more powerful but it was definitely sounding like her a little.

' _Lady Mew will be with us shortly Chosen One; I have sent for her as soon as I became aware of what happened, and she is most distraught to learn what almost happened to you_ ,' the voice beckoned him onward as Ash reached towards a blinding white light at the end of the endlessly long golden tower, sensing his final destination ahead as he flew right through the light and out through some translucent barrier into what appeared to be a massive hallway. Easily bigger than any house on earth, Ash was stupefied as he took a moment to look around. The room inside was some kind of weird white space, bright but not too bright, accommodating and decorated with dancing balls of glittering, pulsating lights which flew around without any form of pattern or flying formation and changed colors every five seconds. Something about this place felt extremely foreign to him yet at the same time, he couldn't help feeling completely at home here. It was intensely disconcerting but it was a feeling he couldn't seem to shake.

As his eyes found what he believed to be the source of the voice and the center of the room, Ash's jaw hit the floor upon glimpsing a massive equine being. Silhouetted in a brilliant golden light which was stronger than the light of the sun, Ash was still somehow able to see the figure inside of the dome of pure energy and saw a white furred, four legged creature with a massive golden cross-shaped wheel around its midsection. It was easily over ten feet tall with green eyes on its face, which seemingly had no mouth. Its hooves were also a brilliant gold and they and its giant wheel were what appeared to be the source of light. Ash was completely overwhelmed by the ungodly, otherworldly powers this thing literally radiated just by walking towards him, just by breathing the same air as him, with just its mere presence.

Yet despite the overpowering force this thing exuded, it was not malevolent like that entity that had killed Ratty had been. Finally finding his voice, Ash managed to speak up, "who… who are you?" he stuttered, voice barely above a whisper due to his awe and wonder upon glimpsing the omnipotent being that stood, or more like floated before him. ' _I am called many names throughout the totality of existence; some call us the Omnipotence Nexus, others call us God, Percy Jackson, The One-Above-All, The Presence, The Man of Miracles, and many other names. But your world calls me Arceus. And you my child, you are a very special boy, as I am sure you're already aware. That is why I cannot allow you to die this day, you are far too important to omni-creation and a fixed point in the Omega Omnisphere. You're a fact of totality Ash Ketchum, and cannot be allowed to die. Not now and hopefully not ever, though as some of us have proven even omnipotent beings can have their supremacy invalidated if they're not careful or become too arrogant,_ ' Arceus explained with excruciating simplicity, to the point where even Ash barely understood a word he said.

"Um, I'm sorry, but if I'm not dead can you please tell me why I am here? My favorite Ratata in the whole entire world just died and I loved that Pokemon. I nearly died myself and my best friend in the entire world couldn't even be bothered to show up and save me!" Ash bit out harshly, having bottled up more anger towards Mew than he realized as he sank to the floor in utter defeat, sobbing his heart out and quite shocked when someone put their hands on his shoulders and embraced him. He found himself looking into the face of an unearthly man with green eyes, white robes, and golden hair; somehow Arceus had taken on a human form and was now comforting the boy with the same level of love and tenderness that a father would feel. Tears welled up in the deity's eyes, and somehow Ash got the strange impression that Arceus felt more saddened by his loss and near-death experience than he did.

' _I am sorry my child truly for what happened to you. Please accept our… no my sincerest apologies. Any actions my children take, or lacks thereof are my blame alone to bear. Please don't be too angry at Lady Mew young one, for it is merely her nature as I designed to do what she does, but like any sentient being she had the ability to go against the less endearing complexities that make up her nature if she possesses the will and the drive, not to mention the proper incentive to do so. When I assigned her the task of protecting you, I should've given more foresight to the fact that she's a cat Pokemon through and through. Perhaps it is best that I_...' Arceus paused, unable to carry up due to Ash hugging him again, unable to believe how kind or how benevolent Arceus was being by accepting all the blame as he did when truthfully it was Mew's own fault for being such a lazy Slaking. He was alive at least thanks to Arceus's quick divine intervention, and that monstrosity was gone to so…

As if reading his mind, Arceus shook his head morosely, ' _I am afraid he is never truly gone young Ash. Omninoir is the embodiment of infinite blackness and nothingness on an omniversal scale, evil in its purest, most eternal and transcendent form; I'm sorry to say but he's as much a part of the Omnipotence Nexus and every bit as eternal as myself and Mew. But take heart my child, for happiness can be found in even the darkest of times… if one only remembers to turn on the lights. There are other omnipotent forces at work in this world Ash besides the will of Omninoir. That much I am fairly certain you realize, am I right_?' Arceus consoled him comfortingly as a sudden thought struck Ash and he pulled away from the God Pokemon's gentle, fatherly embrace.

"Um Arceus, you're the all-powerful creator of the world and stuff right? Can't you do something about my friend Ratty?" Ash asked hopefully, not missing the cheeky, mysterious smile that graced Arceus's cheeks. ' _Of course, I'm already doing it. Call it a perk of the job but I am indeed creating new life for your dear little friend, man I hope that doesn't sound patronizing or anything because I didn't mean it that way? Man, you know how you can say something in your inner mind and it sounds perfectly alright then you project your thoughts aloud or via telepathy and suddenly it sounds offensive or annoying or supercilious! Bah, I digress, hate it when I do that… anyways Ash, I can't resurrect him directly since that would go against the laws of reality, but I can reincarnate him into a new life; even allow him to retain memories of his old one if you want. Now granted he won't be the same as before, not even the same species of Pokemon I don't think but that's hard to say, but nevertheless some friendships can transcend lifetimes Ash; always remember that okay_ ,' Arceus reassured him gently and Ash nodded vigorously and couldn't help but smile. This horrific day just got a thousand times brighter in one glorious moment of relief, though he was surprised that Mew hadn't shown up, hadn't Arceus summoned her?

' _There is one more thing you should be aware of Ash; creating new life for already departed souls is an infinitely delicate process that even omnipotent beings shouldn't rush unless they're really damn good at it. Also a soul needs time to realign with its new body and new life and everything, so you might need to be a little bit patient. While I am infinitely skilled in all fields I haven't done this in quite some time so I might be a little out of practice; so you might not see your reincarnated friend for at least a few years. That's alright though I like to think; like I said some friendships can transcend lifetimes and true friendship never dies. You may have to wait a few years but when it comes to one's closest friends I think one can be quite capable of waiting as long as it takes, even forever if at all feasible, wouldn't you say so_ ,' Arceus concluded with completely sincerity and Ash nodded in understanding, a smile etched on his face. He was beginning to like Arceus more and more; he seemed a lot gentler with him than Mew tended to be and almost treated him like a son, like he were one of his children of legendary beings and entities he spoke so highly of. He did say Ash was special and some fixed point in something or other, but he was agonizingly vague! Still though, Ash was confident that when he was ready to know everything he would, and he had a crazy notion this wouldn't the last he had seen of Arceus.

' _Now that Mew had confirmed Omninoir's departure and that the coast is clear, I'm going to let you go back home now, but I think it would be best if you stay with your mother for tonight. I will assign you a new guardian legendary tomorrow but for now just get some rest_ ,' Arceus promised him but Ash frowned in confusion. ' _Wait? A new guardian legendary, why, so Mew made a mistake that's no reason for you to fire her, I love her Arceus; She's my best friend ever and I won't let you take her away from me_ ,' Ash suddenly cried out in alarmed telepathy, his horror and his sadness returning full force, times infinity. As bad as losing Ratty had been losing Mew somehow seemed infinitely worse; there must have been some mistake, nobody could ever replace Mew. She may not have been an overly dependable guardian angel at times, but she was still his bestie, his Mewie. She was still his everything and anything, the fun loving girl who could do and be anything; who had all the power in the world without any care in it whatsoever. She was always so relaxed and chill about everything that he couldn't help but feel safe from absolutely _anything_ when she was around, and if that wasn't the essence of a guardian angel he didn't know what was.

Arceus smiled sadly down at him as he placed both hands on his shoulders and spoke in an impossibly soft and soothing voice. ' _My child, Mew's resignation was not of my design but her own. I am truly sorry Ash but it looks like she may have lost her will to look after you anymore_ ,' Arceus whispered with an agonized look on his face, more aware of how deeply this pained Ash than even Ash himself was at this tender age of his, when his emotional capacity was still limited somewhat to the human norm. If he had possessed his full scope of abilities and his connection to the emotional spectrum of the Omega Omnisphere, this kind of revelation would've broken him entirely in mind, body, heart, and soul. He'd have become a mere shell of a god condemned to walk the Omega Omnisphere for all eternity in unending pain and sadness. Mew meant a helluva lot more to the boy than even he was aware, but this was not something Arceus could disclose to him before he was ready. As sad as it was, he knew he couldn't intervene too much at this delicate stage of Ash 9 by 6's journey, he would have simply watch the boy's progress from afar; the same proud satisfaction in his heart that any parent would have for their child, and Ash was as close to being his child as Mew or any of his fellow legends.

Ash went absolutely still upon hearing this; and somewhere in the back of his mind Arceus heard the words 'send me home', and immediately obliged. Ash would find out that Mew was no longer home there with him in due time, and when he did it would take a whole helluva lot to get him to embrace his emotions once more. It was funny how the ways of fate worked out this time around, but it would seem that Serena and Amber's emergence into Ash's life would be the key to reopening his heart, and allowing him to forget about the best friend who had left him behind; if only for a little while. Mew was an anomalous wildcard in Ash's journey, somehow resonating with him on a quintessential level and yet not part of the same three-way soul bond he, Amber, and Serena would become entangled in. She might just be the only person in this entire story, Pokemon or otherwise, with the ability and the absolute freedom to completely control her own destiny and the place she had in Ash's own, but for right now she felt she needed to do a little soul searching and sort out her problems on her own terms.

Arceus couldn't see her future or what she would mean to Ash, and amazingly enough she seemed to operate completely outside of the Omega Omnisphere's fundamental laws themselves, something even most omnipotent beings couldn't do to the same degree for the totality handled its own omnipotence and was by definition all encompassing, yet here it was. If all went well then perhaps the Chosen trio would one day become a quartet, Arceus had some unshakeable notion that this was true, this was how big and how important Mew's eventual future role would be, but only she could decide if she would embrace that role or not. Right now, the Omega Omnisphere was in a constant state of flux all around her, not sure what to do with her nor was it able to force her to comply with any of its preset decisions. This could turn out to be the Chosen Three's destruction or their salvation; somehow everything was riding on Lady Mew, and Arceus both enjoyed the idea and was terrified by it. He could only hope and pray to the Omnipotence Nexus that she made the right call.

XXXXX

Instantaneous travel was nowhere near as fun for Ash without his two closest Pokemon friends around to guide him into the forests or play with him in his room. At least Ratty would be coming back in a couple of years and his mother had completely embraced that rodent's presence both in their house and even in his room. He wouldn't be the same Ratty he knew, but like Arceus said Ash's friendship with that Ratata was capable of transcending lifetimes; the little girl spent more time at his place than she did in her forest home with her family. Ash was actually pretty well acquainted with all the Ratata in Ratty's family but had been especially fond of the runt of the litter, the only girl to. There was an interesting question? Arceus said she wouldn't be the same, not even the same Pokemon species? So would she even be the same gender, or would she be a boy? It didn't matter to Ash whether Ratty was a boy or a girl in her new life, but it was pretty interesting to think about.

Tabling his thoughts of Ratty and his concerns about any speed bumps along the way to her new life, Ash stifled his tears as he prepared to ransack his entire house to find Mew in all her usual hiding spots. Just because she stopped being his guardian angel didn't mean she would stop being his friend did it? She wouldn't just leave him to go on her journey like she planned without saying goodbye would she? As he frantically searched his entire room for her selectively invisible form and came up empty handed, he saw a strange bubble of pink and blue energy floating above the head of his bed, and inside it was a note which he immediately made a grab for.

Clasping the note in his trembling hand just as the bubble popped, Ash began to read out, and literally felt his heart smash to pieces irreparably once he did. ' _I'm sorry Ash but it looks like I won't be able to keep my promise to you after all. I'm so, so sorry, you must think of me as the shittiest friend in the entire Omniverse by now and it'd be an absolute, infinite miracle if you ever managed to forgive me. Even if you somehow did, I know I could never forgive myself for not being there for you when you needed me most. If it hadn't been for Arceus's quick thinking I… I, I honestly don't think I could've lived with myself if you had actually been killed. So please, for your own sake, don't come after me like you always have, stay behind and live your life without me. I'll be okay, I'm on my journey now and maybe I can even take this time to do a little proper soul searching and discover whatever lessons in life I will need to learn how to be a better friend, the best friend you could ever dream of or ask for. As soon as my journey ends, I promise I will come find you and we can be together forever assuming you ever take me back. If you don't then I understand, but just know that now and forever me I will always be watching over you. Keep on dreaming big and reaching for the stars Ash Ketchum because if anyone can become the all-powerful master of the universe and infinite dimensions beyond it is you._

_Love, now and always, your best friend Mewie._

_PS: Between you and me, and don't tell Arceus I told you this before you were 'ready to know' or some shit, but your influence will reach far beyond earth and your mastery of Pokemon battling will be taken to an omniversal scale not a global one. Just remember that okay, I have indeed foreseen it Ash so don't deny the truth of this matter. Goodbye my Pokemon master, you were always the right trainer for me I just wish I could've been the right Mew for you._

For a small eternity in his shattered state, Ash just stood there stunned, holding the note gingerly in his hand, mind numb, heartbroken into a thousand pieces. Then the reality of the situation caught up to him and he fell to his knees in an pure, unadulterated agony, the world around him throbbing with previously untapped primordial energies that seemed to surge through his very existence. His entire body was glowing, literally glowing with his impossible pain, agony, grief, and anger at the absolute unfairness of this situation. He crumpled the note in his hand and crushed it with such impossible strength it vanished into the subatomic omniverse, and just like that the pain was gone. All of it just gone with the wind; replaced by a cold, detached, emotionally suppressed indifference, and the memory of a oddly colored, adorable Mew faded farther and farther from his mind until it vanished entirely to his subconscious.

His infinite emotional capacity suddenly crushed down upon by his psycho-omnipotence, Ash Ketchum 9 by 6 emerged from his bedroom a completely changed little boy, wondering with purely intellectual curiosity why he was wasting the day away when he had so much work to do and so many preparations to make in time for his Pokemon journey. From a logical standpoint one could obviously discern that his dream to master the art of the Pokemon battling on an omnipotent level wasn't going to fulfill itself. He had an all-powerful father to dethrone after all, so what in the hell possessed him to start lounging around in his four hour energy restoration chamber when there was work to be done?


	3. Prologue Part Three: A Big Move and a Life-Altering Plane Ride

_Disclaimer: As usual I own nothing except OCs and Self Inserts. I make no profit from this and write purely for fun._

_Chapter is rated for very little aside from innocent childhood fluff moments between some characters and just all around fun._

Prologue Part Three: A Big Move and a Life-Altering Plane Ride

Best friends Serena Yvonne and Amber Valentino both stared at their respective families in shock upon discovering the reason for this planned gathering between the next-door neighbors. "Let me see if I've got this straight, you guys want to send us both to some summer camp all the way in Kanto to coincide with both our families moving to Pallet Town," the six-and-a-half-year-old Amber inquired, her advanced lexicon a stark contrast to her voice, which was very much that of a little girl. Serena stood there too shocked to move or say anything; all and all she was just glad she and Amber wouldn't be separated and wondered how her life would've turned out if she and her closest friend in all the world were forcefully ripped apart. Perhaps in an alternate world she would've been forced to experience living life without Amber, but she supposed that fate must have had other plans for them.

Grace Yvonne was the first to respond to Amber's outburst, "yes sweetie we all made a mutual decision to move to Pallet Town in the Kanto Region. Originally your mother and father were opposed to the idea but I managed to convince them it was best not to separate the two of you when you're such good friends," Grace explained as Amber broke out into a wide, slightly mischievous grin. "It's okay with me, especially since all of us are moving there together. It just kinda came as a surprise to me is all. Honestly I can't speak for Serena here but I'm all for a change of scenery. To be quite frank there is too little to do around here in Vaniville Town and the total absence of any other kids our age makes things even less lively. Not for lack of trying on both our parts but I don't think there is any steady foundation for our future Pokémon journeys here in this backwater place," Amber answered back with her ever present and formidable intelligence as Serena stared at her in surprise and she looked around her at everyone in turn.

The recently turned seven-year-old twirled a strand of her honey colored hair around her finger nervously; her straw hat with a pink ribbon slightly askew on her head and her pink sundress ironed out as her other hand flattened it down for lack of anything else to do to alleviate her nervous energy. Unlike Amber she wasn't completely on board with this idea and did not approve of having her entire life uprooted in such an out of the blue fashion. She appreciated that her mother had chosen to run this by them but couldn't she have talked to Serena while she was still thinking about moving instead of calling them over to discuss their futures like they were already set in stone.

Still she supposed that so long as she and Amber remained together then things wouldn't turn out too bad. Looking to her left at the auburn haired, amber eyed girl; Serena tuned out everything else as she studied her features, from her perfect adorable face to her choice of attire. A white tank top and gray shorts, simple but surprisingly fitting. Unlike Serena Amber didn't care for head wear, always saying how it made her scalp itch.

Serena and Amber had been born together, raised by their families together, and had grown up together all these past years. They had been best friends since the day Amber was pretty much first conceived, and Serena had been overjoyed by her presence in her life on far more than one occasion. Amber's unnatural intelligence and her highly advanced vocabulary had taken some getting used to; but for someone only seven years old Serena liked to think her ingenious friend had rubbed off on her and she was getting better at understanding some of the girl's vocab. Amber's parents were competitive trainers from back in the day, Tyler and Marissa Valentino; Marissa had been a top coordinator and even a masterclass Pokémon Performer upon coming to Kalos and meeting Tyler who had been competing in the Kalos League at the time. Both were fairly distinguished and well off, meaning Amber had a pretty comfortable upbringing and money wasn't a concern; Vaniville town just enabled her parents to get away from it all and just enjoy the peace and quiet.

Marissa was gorgeous and had been modeling during her time as a Performer, and Amber was a spitting image of her albeit much younger and still a kid despite her formidable prodigious capabilities. All in all, it was clear to Serena that Amber would grow up to be a knockout just like her mom, and her dad wasn't too bad looking either. Serena's mom Grace on the other hand was known all over the world as the number one Rhyhorn Racer of all time; granted that wasn't as competitive a field as Pokémon League Championships or even Pokémon Contest Stardom but it was still a very impressive field to be number one in. Serena's father however was a runner-up for the Pokémon World Championship and leading member of Red's Golden Elite Four. His level infinity Pokémon rosters were legendary among trainer standards and he was the trainer one needed to defeat if they wanted to have a shot at the World Champion title and crown.

Her father had disappeared some time ago when she was less than a year old so she didn't even really know him personally; but after hearing about him from her mom she was desperate to meet him someday and hoped she could make him proud when she went off on her own Pokémon journey. Some part of her resented him for leaving her mom and her like that, but she suspected that there had to be some kind of reason for his abrupt departure and disappearance off the grid. The only evidence that he was still alive was the enormous paychecks he sent them every month without fail to contribute to Serena's future as any decent father should. Her mother had recently been retired from Rhyhorn racing due to injuries she had sustained to her back and knees. Nothing too damning or anything but enough to warrant her immediate retirement.

"I've been offered a job in Pallet Town as a couch for Rhyhorn racing for anyone wishing to learn the sport, it's a great opportunity to get back in the game and Serena I wanted to run this by you first. We've already made plans and everything and can call the Machoke moving team at any time but if you truly feel like you want to stay here then I won't force you to leave. Normally as the adult I would be the one making decisions but since this is a decision that affects us both I wanted you to be in on it," Grace explained to her as Serena's annoyance with her mother evaporated into nothing upon hearing that. She really was trying to include Serena in all of her big decisions and that meant a lot to her; plus, if this was an opportunity for her mom to do the thing she loved once more then who was she to stand in the way.

Smiling brightly at all of them, Serena nodded, "thanks mom, and yes I'm glad you have something to do in Pallet Town, so let's go already," she stated as Amber beamed appreciatively at her and Grace nodded and went over to the video phone to make a few calls. "Aw man this is gonna be great, I keep having this weird feeling that something big is waiting for us in Pallet Town. Not just because Professor Oak is going to be there, you know what I mean Serena," Amber whispered to her as the honey blonde girl shook her head. "Not really but I'll take your word for it," Serena whispered back casually as both girls started giggling excitedly and Amber's parents watched them with fascination.

"It'll be good for Amber to have people like Professor Oak to look up to don't you think dear," Marissa whispered to her husband as Tyler nodded slowly. "Those two really do seem to be close wouldn't you say?" Tyler mentioned while watching his daughter interact with her closest friend. "Yes they do, and they only seem to get closer every day... why is something concerning you," Marissa astutely observed her husband as he shrugged.

"I'm not entirely sure, maybe it's my fatherly intuition but something about their dynamic seems like it could be more than friendship someday... if you know what I mean. Maybe I'm crazy," Tyler hesitantly responded as Marissa's eyes lit up in fascination and adoration towards their children. "Oh that would be absolutely adorable; they're already such good friends and look so cute together and frankly I'm the last person to judge them if they wind up becoming lovers someday. You and I both know that sort of thing is much more accepted nowadays than it was back in our time," Marissa pointed out as Tyler nodded while watching Amber and Serena chat animatedly in the background.

"I know but even in the world we live in today people are still pretty backwards when it comes to accepting change, and given our family's background and Serena's I'm worried about potential bad press or something. Not that I care if they wind up together or anything I'm just worried about how they'll end up being treated by people if they come out with any relationship they may end up having in the future. Then again maybe I'm worrying for nothing, maybe my intuition is completely off," Tyler whispered somewhat hopefully, though truth be told the only thing he wanted in life was for his daughter to be happy and he didn't give two shits who she was happy with so long as that was how she felt. "Or maybe... they'll both meet somebody else in Pallet Town, you and I both know there is somebody there who could use a couple of new friends right about now don't we Ty," Marissa knowingly smirked as Tyler nodded.

"That poor boy, he's easily as smart as Amber and as nice as Serena, but from what Delia's told us it's like he's some kind of robot in recent years. She's worried about him Marissa and for good reason, maybe befriending Amber and Serena can change all that," Tyler stated hopefully as Marissa smirked at him. "That's ultimately why you agreed to Grace's suggestion to move there together isn't it," she realized. Tyler nodded while beaming at his children, Amber was already his daughter and Serena was as good as family to him, "call it an act of faith, but it's almost like the universe was giving us the opportunity to help change Ash Ketchum's fortune."

XXXXX

The audience was roaring with thunderous, earth shaking applause as the announcer's voice rang across the Orre Coliseum; the two combatants were currently staring each other down competitively as both stood on opposite sides of the battlefield. Up on the big screen standing against the interior of the massive dome-shaped structure was a display picture of both competitors, 12 Pokeball icons with six assigned to each trainer, and a power meter displaying the stats and strength levels of each Pokémon partaking in the battle about to ensue. In case the screaming audiences failed to turn their attention towards the screen however there was a new app on every Pokenav Plus, X-Transceiver, Holo Caster, and other such electronic devices in the crowd that depicted the power meter and everything else on the screen.

On one side of the Coliseum's battling terrain, champion trainer and savior of the Orre Region Michael stood poised for combat; his red hair longer and his face years older than the thirteen-year-old face that every trainer in the region looked up to, his starter Pokémon Espeon's Pokeball clutched in his hand. With a resounding roar of approval from the crowd, Michael's level infinity Eeveelution appeared, silhouetted in a white light as the Pokeball exploded open in a flash; revealing the battle hardened psychic type as both she and her trainer stared down their worthiest and most powerful adversary in a long time. Standing on the other side completely unflappable and unfazed by the appearance of the strongest Espeon in all of Orre save perhaps Wes's himself; six going on seven-years-old Ash Ketchum considered his options for this tournament as a disembodied voice reverberated through the Coliseum that only he could hear.

' _Remember Ash, even though type match-ups aren't everything a dark or bug type would give you the natural edge in the first round,_ ' Professor Oak's echoic, distant voice sounded from seemingly afar. Ash nodded in concentration, opting not to point out the hole in the professor's logic; since level infinity Pokémon of any kind could do super effective damage to psychic types with the right moves, and not even the same type attack bonus would make a difference to Pokémon who were supreme paragons of their species. Admittedly though having a dark type would at least limit Espeon's repertoire to non-psychic type moves, regardless of level type immunities were absolute in their world.

Deciding ultimately to go with the esteemed Professor's all too predictable suggestion, Ash made his choice and threw the Pokeball containing the Houndoom he'd chosen for this fight. The hellhound resembling Pokémon materialized in a sphere of light not dissimilar to the one Espeon appeared in only seconds before. Michael and Espeon smirked at the pair as they were designed to do, and Michael addressed Ash and his voice drowned out the screaming masses of people in the crowds. "Alright Espeon, start off with a full powered dazzling gleam. Dazzle and blind our opponent with your boundlessly brilliant light show," Michael ordered as he was programmed to do, selecting a rather predictable choice for Espeon to use in order to rack up damage on Ash's Houndoom.

Ash knew how much damage that attack could do when it hit and also shielded his eyes on pure instinct as he ordered Houndoom to use protect and saw the world around him white out as a blinding pink light enveloped the entire field. The screen displayed an infinity symbol to indicate both competing Pokémon's current power levels as a green sphere encased Houndoom; creating an impenetrable force field of infinite energy that staved off the attack and tinted the blinding pink lights as Ash formulated a counter strategy. ' _I've got to give Professor Krane credit for these Battle Simulators, they're extremely realistic and aside from the obvious differences between this and actual Pokémon battles I can almost swear this was the real deal. Hell even that dazzling gleam was insane, but I bet the real deal would have a much more profound effect on both my Pokémon and myself_ ,' Ash mused inwardly as he called out an attack just as the absolute light died down.

"Dark Pulse full blast, envelop the enemy in dark matter and the absolute power of an Ultra-Massive Black Hole," Ash ordered as the entire stadium went a couple of shades darker in response to Houndoom's attack, resembling the world as it appeared through a pair of sunglasses as even the holographic sun above them was considerably dimmer. Instead of the usual stream of energy that signified a dark pulse attack, Houndoom had concentrated the dark matter and energy into an orb so tight and so dense that it became a singularity of infinite gravitational energy. The fabric of the simulated reality seemed to snap under the pressure of the orb of darkness as Houndoom fired it right at Espeon. Ash's eyes widened in amazement at the startlingly realistic effects as Espeon was swallowed in the dark matter sphere's infinite gravitational pull which were it not for the fact that she was a level infinity member of her species, would have spaghettified her; stretching her body so thin it would have stretched her into oblivion.

As it was however Espeon's body which was filled with infinite amounts of positive energy managed to cancel the black hole out as it seemed to choke on her, but not before it knocked her out and brought her to her infinite limits in turn. As the Espeon fainted and the singularity vanished in a wisp of smoke, Ash heard Professor Oak's voice again. ' _Alright Ash that's enough for today, the Battle Sim is overloading with the amount of input your battle is inundating it with. Battle simulator deactivate,_ ' Oak commanded as the Orre Coliseum and Michael and Houndoom all faded away and Ash's surroundings changed to the interior of Professor Oak's newly installed simulated reality projector in his laboratory. Ash removed the helmet which allowed him to control the simulation's reality to his every whim and allowed himself to reacclimatize with the real world all around him.

The soon to be seven-year-old stepped off of the Holo Panel just as the aged Professor walked into the room with an impressed smile on his face. "That was an impressive strategy you had there, creating a singularity to swallow up the Espeon using the Dark Matter energy created by Dark Pulse. Of course had that been a real battle you'd have been looking at a potential global crisis in most cases but Ash, once again your victory in these Battle Simulators was flawless," Professor Oak praised him while also offering a bit of advice at the same time as Ash nodded; his unkempt raven colored hair wildly whizzing about from that simple action, his amber eyes brimming with inhuman intelligence but little else. The absolute composure and emotional control he harbored at such a young age had thrown the Professor for a loop on more than once occasion. His jeans were rolled up above the knees just the way he liked it, and he was wearing his favorite shirt, yellow and red with a Pokeball symbol to complete the ensemble.

His mom always told him he was such a handsome little man, and in spite of his best efforts he couldn't stop himself from blushing whenever she complimented him on something or showered him with praise. The only other person who could make him do that was Professor Oak's granddaughter and one of Ash's closest friends Daisy. It also didn't help that he had a rather intense crush on the older girl, even if he never did anything about it. At this stage in his life he was only considered to be a little kid, even if he saw himself as more mature than most adults; it was a simple fact of life that society might not be on board with the idea of Ash dating someone he considered to be of an acceptable age for him when he was only a kid. Young love was one thing, some people even believed it was healthy, but Ash wasn't interested in chasing girls he crushed on or even making friends with his peers throughout Pallet Town. Both of those situations would impede his goal to master the art of Pokémon Battling on an infinite level and frankly he didn't want or need anybody else to achieve his ends.

"Thanks Professor, but like you said a real battle would be much more intense. I must admit that the Battle Simulator created a highly realistic battle effect; from the attacks like Dazzling Gleam to the screams of the crowds. I could almost believe that I was really fighting Michael; key word being almost. I am looking forward to being able to feel the full effects of the level infinity Pokémon I plan to use in battle," Ash responded listlessly as Professor Oak nodded in accord. "So is there anything else you'd like to have me do today; there's still so much I have left to learn and frankly I'm not as tired yet right now as I thought I'd be," Ash admitted, having been inexhaustible for all but four hours every day for as long as he could remember. For whatever reason when it came time for him to fall asleep his body seemed to shut down and recharge for exactly four hours during the night. When he arose in the early hours of the morning he always felt fully rested and didn't tire again until it was time for his four-hour sleep cycle to repeat itself twenty hours later.

He had tested the outer limits of that talent many times over the years; had pushed himself as hard as he could during his work-outs and even sparred with some of the fighting type Pokémon to try and see if he was truly as inexhaustible as he believed. But even though there was a limit to his strength and his sprinting speed no matter how far he ran or how many times he weight-trained his stamina always stayed the same and never seemed to die down. He could work out for ten hours straight every day and keep on putting on more muscle without feeling fatigued by it. So while his strength and speed continued to climb without end the more he pushed himself; his stamina had no limits in the first place and he remained incapable of fatigue except for during those measly four hours. All and all that was a pretty fucking awesome ability, but that was just the icing on the cake.

Ash hadn't told anyone about this, least of all his mother who had enough reasons to worry about him already; but he once bent a spoon with his mind telekinetically and had to convince his mother he bent it by hand which luckily he was already strong enough to do at that age. Even scarier than his very obvious psychic powers were the abilities he exhibited while there was music of any kind playing anywhere near him. Not only could he instantly know any song the moment he heard it start playing for the first time; he could imitate the singer's voice and lyrics perfectly like some kind of super ventriloquist. With a bit of experimentation Ash discovered other abilities including the power to manipulate sound-waves and his own vocal cords while music was being played. He could sing at a high enough pitch to shatter glass, low enough and loud enough to make the earth tremble, could lull anyone to sleep using the Pokémon Sing technique, and achieve all sorts of insane effects through the power of music alone.

He could activate the power on command just by singing some random song of his own making or creating a beat; on top of all that he also had the absurd ability to achieve any effect he wanted while singing just by imagining what he wanted to happen. He could sing a song that could freeze the universe in eternally suspended time until he chose to let it go on, could change the weather on command, and achieve pretty much an unlimited number of effects through the power of music just by imagining what it is he wished to do. It has taken him much time to fathom what he could do and was scared of what could happen if he started using this ability to achieve feats on a far more godlike scale. It terrified him the mere thought of the devastation he could unleash just by singing a simple, menial song; the amount of power he could exhibit in a Pokémon battle while thinking of some Pokémon related theme song was unimaginable, and even more terrifying to him was how people in this world might react if they found out the stuff he could do.

Despite his mother's very obvious concerns he was still just as capable of feeling emotions as he ever was he just got a whole lot better at maintaining his perfect composure in recent years. He had a whole lifetime of reasons to not act out or get too violent in his emotional outbursts. He was practically legendary for his control throughout Pallet Town, and given the nature of some of his seemingly godlike abilities… he had to be. The sorts of head over heels, out of control feelings his emotions were capable of becoming, were extremely dangerous when exhibited by someone with powers like his. There was also the fact that there were many, many gaps in his memories from the first four years of his life and he wouldn't have even known about it if his mom hadn't have made it overtly obvious.

He never even knew he had a Blue Mew for an imaginary friend as a kid, and for some reason the fact that he didn't remember something like that bothered him deeply. His mother had told him all about this legendary being he claimed to have known as a child and the legendary psychic type had quickly become Ash's favorite Pokémon as he read up on the various legendary Pokémon during his research with Professor Oak. This was the main part of his mother's concern since he apparently never forgot anything… so why in the hell couldn't he remember his own imaginary friend if that was the case? Another thing his mom mentioned was the Rattata who used to play with him and who even slept over at his house and followed him home from her own home in the forest. This bothered Ash immensely because his mom told him all these antics he and the Rattata used to get up to and he didn't remember any of it.

His lack of emotional responses as he processed the fact that there were gaps in his memories had only increased his mother's ever growing concern for him. Ash had tried many different techniques to try and improve his memory including some special tea he had with Daisy to activate his mind and body; yet nothing came back to him. The Rattata didn't turn up anywhere no matter how many times he gallivanted through the forest in search of her, but there was a particular family of Rattata who seemed quite a bit more sympathetic of his search for the friend he didn't even remember than all the others.

Some form of emotion must have been showing on his face because Oak cleared his throat and interrupted his thoughts. "Something wrong my boy," the esteemed Professor enquired as Ash shook his head. "No sir, nothing, say um is Daisy home by any chance," Ash asked out of the blue with something almost akin to a blush on his face. Oak smiled and practically beamed, the fifty-something-year-old authority on Pokémon knew that Delia was worried about her kid suppressing his emotions but if that red face and his obvious crush on Oak's granddaughter was any indicator then there was hope for Ash yet. "Um yes I believe she is Ash, I'm sure she'll be happy to see you so go visit her for a bit. You're done for today my boy so feel free to take the rest of the day off. I'll phone Delia and tell her you're going to be a little bit later than expected going home so run along now," Oak ushered him out the door as Ash thanked him politely and walked towards the exit from the lab.

Exiting the laboratory with all due haste, Ash ran down the dirt road path towards the Oak Family's house with practiced ease as he arrived at the ornate front door and knocked rather diligently while awaiting an answer. An angelic voice sounded from the other side of the entryway as Daisy Oak sweetly told him to wait just a moment and that she'd be right there. About five to ten seconds later the door opened and the eleven-year-old brunette girl with green eyes stared at him with a warm and radiant smile before holding the door open for him and letting him in. Needing no further encouragement, Ash's entire body felt all toasty inside as he walked into the welcoming abode of the Oak family. The all too familiar guest room was the first room one saw and Daisy's familiar tea set was sitting right on the coffee table between the love seat and the couch. Ash repressed a blush as he remembered that he'd been the one who got her that tea set for Christmas one year and she made it abundantly clear it was her favorite on more than one occasion.

"It's good to see you again Ash, the usual milk and two sugar I assume," Daisy greeted him in her usual perky and friendly manner as Ash nodded in affirmation. He poured himself a scalding hot cup of freshly brewed orange pekoe tea and added the milk and sugar himself as he sat down on the love seat. He blushed against his will when Daisy Oak took her usual seat beside him on the love seat; either not noticing that a love seat was so named because it was for couples or simply not giving it any thought as she plopped right down beside him and leaned back in her spot… fully relaxed and comfortable around him.

"It's good to see you to Daisy, how goes your studies to become a Doctor of Pokémon and cure-all medicines," Ash inquired with insatiable curiosity. Daisy smiled with raw enthusiasm as she launched into an explanation. "It's going great, fully trained Pokémon with any type of status healing and cellular regeneration can offer us unlimited scientific input into the field of cure-all medicines Ash. I've long since had an ongoing theory that shape shifting Pokémon species like Ditto or ones with Protean like Kecleon offer us the cure to almost anything, infinitely programmable DNA and the ability to regenerate and control one's existence on a cellular level comes in very handy for developing and further enhancing this particular field.

Inside of a Ditto's genetic makeup could be a map to curing every disease that is out there on a cosmic scale, but I won't know for sure until I have an actual level infinity Ditto to work with and as you well know Ash nobody has ever trained a Ditto to that level before. Also Kecleon's ability to use Protean and change its typing might give us the ability to develop something that can adapt and evolve to any attack and maybe even any injury or ailment, but again this is all theoretical," Daisy explained to him with all the hereditary genius of the Oak family that Professor Samuel and Blue Oak both prized as well as her. Loathe though Ash was to admit it, his childhood rival Gary was fairly bright.

He was happy that Daisy talked to him like a mature adult, nobody aside from her and Professor Oak ever did consistently. His mom did from time to time but would always encourage him to associate with his peers, to play with his friends. And while it was only because she wanted her little boy to remain a child for as long as possible, which any mother would want in all honesty; the fact remained he was maturing a lot faster than the norm for human children. Daisy understood this, and didn't hold anything back with her formidable intelligence when he was around; for that she had his eternal gratitude since he had no desire whatsoever to relate to the other children his physical age, although Leaf wasn't so bad.

One of the biggest compliments Ash had ever received and that made his pride in his own abilities surge exponentially was when Professor Oak told him he was quite possibly the most brilliant student he'd ever taught and easily as smart as all the eggheads in the Oak family combined… if not smarter. To have that sort of compliment coming from the world's foremost authority on Pokémon was huge, and Ash strived every day not to disappoint and to validate Oak's opinion of him; because it was one thing to be brilliant but you had to work at it to. Daisy smiled as Ash chuckled, "yeah I did know that actually, and trust me Daisy I plan to be the first trainer to train a Ditto to level infinity so when I do exactly that I'll be sure to let you work together with him or her as a partner and an equal… provided of course you don't try to dissect him or anything," Ash teasingly stated as Daisy mock pouted at him.

"Come on Ash, you should know me better than that; living test subjects only unless the subject in question is already dead at the time of the testing and beforehand," she playfully reminded him as they both chuckled. "Ah man, it's nice to have somebody who not only understands what I'm talking about but is as invested in my theories as I am," Daisy stated offhandedly as Ash beamed at her. "Of course I understand you Daisy, you know as well as I do that I'm no ordinary six-year-old," he stated matter-of-factually as the brunette preteen nodded in accord.

"Don't have to tell me that… Hey did I ever tell you that I was the second person besides your mother to hold you in her arms when you were first born. I was five years old at the time but I remember it so well. Oh Arceus you were _so cute_ ; you truly were her miracle baby," Daisy fondly stated with a happily faraway look in her eyes as Ash full body blushed for the first time in living memory upon hearing that. She'd never told him that before so far as he knew and having her spring that on him in such an out-of-the-blue fashion was enough to catch him completely off guard and forget himself and all his training to maintain perfect composure.

"I… I mean ugh… I honestly didn't know that, guess my mom wanted me to find out… from you," Ash stammered uncontrollably as Daisy giggled at his adorably embarrassed expression. "So Ash tell me, how did what I said just now make you feel," she asked him as Ash groaned, anticipating what she was going for next as he shook his head to clear the foggy haze that clouded it over just moments ago. "We're not doing this again now are we," he whined as Daisy rolled her eyes in a good natured manner.

"I know you don't like talking about your feelings Ash but it helps believe me," she whispered encouragingly as Ash breathed in his nose and out his mouth slowly and deliberately in an effort to calm himself. "It's dangerous to get too touchy-feely for me Daisy, you know that better than most," he reminded her with a very nervous edge to his voice. The older girl nodded understandingly, "I know Ash, believe me I do… but it could be even more dangerous for you to hold everything in. In cases such as this, the more you suppress your emotions the bigger the explosion; like letting the river build up too much behind a dam Ash, these things crave release and are a force of nature not to be denied," she responded sympathetically, having been one of the only people in the entire world Ash confided his secret arsenal of abilities in and sworn to secrecy.

"What choice do I have though, I can't exactly tell anyone else about this and remaining perfectly composed has worked out for me so far; there have actually been very few blow-ups these past couple of years to be honest," Ash tried rationalizing as Daisy nodded understandingly. "Look if you're not comfortable talking about all this with me then you need to find yourself a true confident Ash… it doesn't matter who it is, it could be your mother or my grandpa but you've got to let somebody in," Daisy imploringly stated, and Ash smiled when it became clear just how much she cared for him and how hurt she seemed to be that he wasn't opening up to her.

"My mother already has enough reasons to worry about me at the moment and I don't need to add to that list just yet, and Professor Oak would probably have about a thousand different theories to explain it with each one being as unlikely as the next. I need to figure this out on my own for a while Daisy but when I do I promise I'll find someone who knows all and sees all regarding everything that is me," Ash promised her as Daisy nodded in acceptance. "Deal," she said simply while flashing a pageant winning smile at him. "Oh and Ash, about this Ditto you plan to catch, thanks in advance for giving me the opportunity to study it… Maybe when we're both a little bit older I'll show you how much your contributions to my science… mean to me but for now I think you should drink your tear quickly before it gets cold," she grinned at him rather suggestively as Ash caught the meaning behind her words and blushed to the roots of his hair.

Taking a sip of his considerably cooler but still delicious tea to try and alleviate some of the embarrassment she just distilled in him, Ash couldn't for the life of him believe that she could suggest _that_ of all things to him; but maybe this infatuation he had with her was not entirely one sided and would only continue to burn hotter as they both grew older and sexually matured. Admittedly he wasn't opposed to the idea of a relationship sometime in the future and in a perfect world maybe he and Daisy would be together someday, but for some weird, inexplicable reason he couldn't shake the feeling that he was already spoken for by somebody else and that the somebody in question was on their way here. Among his many psychic powers was the ability of precognition, and lately he'd been having this premonition that something wonderful was headed this way for him and that when the time came for him to begin his Pokémon journey he'd have so much more than just his Pokémon accompanying him.

"Thanks Daisy, maybe I'll take you up on your offer, maybe not; but we can't be sure of the future until it is already here so just for now I'm content with us staying best friends," Ash whispered to her as Daisy chuckled. "Oh Ash I was only teasing you know, I'm actually surprised by how much you understand about such things for one so young," Daisy teasingly remarked. Ash scoffed.

"Oh please, my mom gave me the Pidgy's and the Beedrill's talk when I was 5. I've understood the mating rituals of Pokémon and humans of all kinds since I could read practically, and I'll never understand why people see it as such a taboo. I mean we live, we eat, we sleep, and someday we find a mate and courting occurs followed by sexual tension and eventually… penetrative intercourse which in turn leads to pregnancy for the future mother. And thus the cycle of life continues, it's basic universal science Daisy and I know all about universal sciences. Sometimes I worry for the future of the human race and it boggles my mind how we could have survived for as long as we have with such a limited understanding of fundamental knowledge," he replied lengthily as Daisy stared at the young boy in mild surprise. Admittedly she'd had time to accommodate to Ash's insanely advanced intelligence and vocabulary for a boy his age but it still took some getting used to from time to time.

Recovering her wits Daisy smirked at him rather teasingly, "oh sure you say that now, but just wait until you have your first proper crush with hormones involved and enhancing everything inside of you that allows you to form these puppy love crushes you're having now… I'll bet you be too embarrassed to know what to do with your feelings for this girl whoever she may be," she challenged him as Ash narrowed his eyes in acceptance. "I'll take that bet, loser has to give the winner an open mouthed Kalosian kiss at the first sign of my embarrassment or lack thereof," Ash boldly stated with a rather profound smirk as Daisy's face whitened slightly with shock as she stared at him open mouthed. She recovered once again and shook his hand with surprisingly resolute determination, shocking him to the core that she had accepted his bold challenge so quickly and with so little hesitation. "You're on Ash, you better hope you're a pretty damn good kisser in either outcome because I'm not holding anything back when the time comes. Either way though we'll both be getting a kiss so what's the point in making a bet if both of us benefit whether we win or lose," Daisy couldn't help but wonder afterward as Ash smiled.

"I honestly didn't think you'd accept it quickly, I only made the bet that way because it was beneficial either way for _me_ in particular; I didn't believe for one second you'd agree to those ridiculous terms but I am not complaining that you did. You're honestly a very pretty girl Daisy and I can already tell you're going to be an absolute knockout of a woman when you reach sexual maturity, and frankly I'd be lucky if I ended up with someone like you. Not just because you're so pretty but because you've got such a good heart, and while I'm being honest about my feelings can I just say I've had a bit of a crush on you for a long while now; which I've made pretty obvious over the years.

I know I'm not even seven years old yet and frankly I won't get the full benefits or experiences of a romantic relationship until I'm physically a lot more mature than I am now, but if nobody else ends up lurking in my future Daisy I do hope you might be willing to wait for me a little while," Ash confessed with his second ever full body blush as Daisy's eyes widened as large as dinner plates. The realization that Ash was not only being nakedly honest about his feelings with her but also telling her of his longtime crush on her, caught her totally off guard and it took her much longer to recover her wits this time. He looked embarrassed beyond belief to have admitted all that and in her hazed mind Daisy suddenly realized how hard that must have been for him to say. He looked like a part of him regretted saying all of that and Daisy fought to regain control of herself; the part of him that was still a seven-year-old boy was mortified at what he had just professed, but the very unique individual he was seemed like he was nervously waiting for a response from her as Daisy managed to regain control.

By time she did Daisy was beaming at him with pride, "Ash that admission of your emotions was… absolutely perfect; oh if your mother could hear you now she'd think twice before calling you a robot ever again. I'm so proud of you, don't ever feel like you should ever have to keep your real feelings a secret from me or that you even could. Honestly, I've known about your crush on me for as long as you've had one so it doesn't surprise me that you had feelings for me Ash; what does surprise me is that you finally admitted them. Oh this is so huge, you need some kind of reward for that Ash because honestly I can't even tell you how big of a deal this is for me and for all the other people who love you and worry about you every day," Daisy excitedly whispered as Ash's blush continued to deepen. He hadn't anticipated her making such a big deal out of this but was very pleasantly surprised when she decided on what reward to give him.

In the back of her mind Daisy knew this sort of behavior was sometimes looked down upon, but she just didn't care. Just this once, she cast aside all thoughts of the age difference between them and rationalized that they were both still minors anyways until she turned 13. She may have been five years older, but Ash's maturity was easily on par with hers and his intellect vastly outstripped her own if she was being completely honest; so with all that in mind she planted a kiss on his lips. It wasn't anything bad or inappropriate, just a quick close mouthed kiss; but it was a kiss on his lips nonetheless as her eyes slid closed and an electric current shocked her system both literally and figuratively as Ash's eyes widened in surprise. Heat unlike anything he'd ever felt before traveled all the way down to his toes from the point where their lips met, and both of them were astonished by just how much they enjoyed the simple contact as Daisy reluctantly pulled away with a blush to match his own adorning her cute face.

"That was… amazing, is that what a kiss feels like," Ash wondered in a punch drunken state, his tone of voice rather dreamy as Daisy smiled sheepishly. "I guess so, it was kind of my first kiss to Ash," she admitted as Ash gawked at her in obvious shock. "Seriously… _you_?" he rather skeptically asked her as Daisy rolled her eyes at him before chuckling. "Why does that surprise you so much; I mean sure I'm not oblivious to the fact that I'm a good looking girl and that lots of the boys in Pallet Town probably have a crush on me but that doesn't mean I've let any of them get as close to me as you have Ash. Besides after how much progress you've made just by telling me your feelings I felt like that was the perfect reward to give you for your efforts in pouring your heart out," she informed him as Ash nodded understandingly.

"Well if that's the kind of reward I get for it, I should talk about my feelings more often," Ash chortled as Daisy laughed with him. "I'm still expecting you to pucker up and kiss me properly when you lose our little bet Ash… I do have one condition though and that's the fact that I want you to wait until we're both at least the legal adult age in Kanto which is 13. Then we can kiss each other senseless and there won't be any issues either legally or morally," Daisy winked at him as Ash nodded and gulped somewhat nervously. Daisy would be 18 years old by time that happened and most likely fully physically mature with a lot more kissing expertize under her belt than she had right now; he hoped he'd be able to compete when the time came but had a few more years until he had to worry about it. Still that last kiss she'd just given him right now would keep him lightheaded and smitten for weeks to come; he had never experienced such a pleasant sensation before in his entire life and was kind of hoping he'd get the chance to experience it again sooner rather than later.

"Fair enough, I just hope I don't disappoint you," Ash admitted sheepishly as Daisy giggled before playfully swatting his arm. "Stop being so modest and sweet will you… you're going to be quite the lady's man if you keep that up and frankly you could never disappoint me," she whispered to him adoringly as Ash reluctantly smiled at her compliment. "Thanks Daisy, really I mean it; you make it easier for me to talk about my feelings," he told her sincerely as Daisy nodded.

"And look, nothing cataclysmic befell this town because Ash Ketchum dared to be a human being. See, find the proper outlet to channel it through and even the most dangerous, unstable superhuman abilities can suddenly become so much more controllable. Always remember Ash, you're the master of yourself and your powers, not the other way around. Adopt the right mindset and you will master your magic or whatever it is, but fail to do so and you'll find you'll always feel out of control, alone, and afraid," Daisy sagely advised him as Ash nodded, trying to appreciate her words of wisdom and yet the fear of acting out and causing irreparable damage to this town or its people was still there.

"For all of your sakes Daisy, I hope you're right," Ash murmured under his breath as Daisy beamed at him. "It's a good thing then that I know I'm right isn't it," she insistently stated, refusing to let him be in a state of sadness while she was here as Ash felt his spirits lifting up simply because of her never-say-die attitude. "I better head home or mom will chew me out for staying out past supper time," Ash finally said as Daisy waved him off and he chugged the last of his tea in a hurry, the cooled off drink slipping down his throat easily as he hugged her goodbye and started to leave just as Gary Oak walked in the doorway.

"Hey sis I'm home… oh, hey Ashy-boy, hitting on my sister again are you," Gary teased him mockingly as Ash blushed to the roots of his hair… too flustered to come up with his usual witty retorts as Daisy appeared in the front porch with her arms folded over her chest as she glared at Gary. "Excuse me mister, but Ash didn't do anything of the sort; and even if he did it's none of your business. Frankly I'd be lucky to end up with someone as honorable as Ash and you'd do well to emulate his example and treatment of girls if you ever want to end up with a lady friend of your own," she scolded him hotly as Gary's eyes widened slightly at having been caught teasing Ash.

"Jeez Daisy I was only joking around," he said defensively, and Ash took the opportunity to slip out unnoticed as brother and sister had another of their famous sibling arguments; trying not to focus on the fact that they were fighting because of him. He smiled almost involuntarily when he thought about the fact that Daisy was fighting _for_ him and not because of him, remembering her advice from earlier that he needed to not be so pessimistic all the time. He sprinted all the way home, still on cloud nine from Daisy's earlier kiss and promising to himself never to speak of it with anyone. It'd be their little secret for now, but he was still determined to never wash his lips again in the foreseeable future.

That had been the single most amazing thing he'd ever felt and he now knew that just being his usual overly intelligent self was enough to attract members of the opposite sex to him; if Daisy's smoldering hot kiss from earlier was any indication then maybe having a girlfriend someday was not such a bad thing. It would make his Pokémon journey much more lively, hell maybe he could start socializing with the kids his age around here some more; who knows he might even get lucky with a kiss or two on the cheek from someone like Leaf or even Marina.

Ash blanched at the thought of asking for a kiss from the bluenette; yeah like that was going to happen. That preppy girl who was big into stardom and other things would never go for it; she hated his guts. Okay maybe hate was a strong word but she did seem to express more frustration towards his prodigious nature and formidable intellect than any of the others barring Gary Motherfucking Oak himself. Ash smirked a little at that particular nickname he'd branded the arrogant asshat as, thinking it would go down in history across the eternal seas of time and space as a universally or even omniversally famous nickname for the little bugger. Ash wasn't sure where he'd first coined the term omniverse or omniversal but considering its name literally meant all universes and realities he thought it was a damn well unambiguous term for the totality of existence. He just couldn't for the life of him remember where or when the fuck he'd heard it or who from.

That omniverse talk aside, it would be nice for him to feel that sensation he felt again, and he didn't want to have to wait until he was 13 again in order to feel that kind of affection from somebody else; somebody he liked as more than just a friend and who he found really pretty like Daisy or Leaf… both of whom were pretty and nice at the same time which was the most potent combination a female could have to win him over. Was it so wrong that that he wanted to be adored for once and not be an outcast, maybe, maybe not; but he'd never know unless he tried. For the first time in all his 6.9 years, he was in a place in his life where he wanted to try and make friends, where he craved that companionship and affection from someone other than his mother.

He wasn't looking to settle down for the rest of his life, God no he was way too young for that; but he'd been emotionally starving himself for damn well long enough and the time had come for him to make some drastic changes… Daisy had taught him that today and he wanted something more than what he currently had in life; hell even the thought of curb stomping the competition at the Pokémon League Championship Tournament in Kanto didn't have its usual appeal because although he'd have his Pokémon by his side every step of the way a true Pokémon master was a friend to everybody be they human, Pokémon, or otherwise. Displays of such affection were different when Daisy kissed him as compared to his mom kissing him on the cheek goodnight, and suddenly his puppy love crushes and Daisy's kiss educated him of the immense difference between familial love and the kind of head-over-heels romantic love one might feel for their spouse or lover.

It had an exceedingly different and much more intoxicating feel to it and even though he was young, he was not naïve and he fully understood the differences between the two. He also understood that most people his age thought of love as a made-up condition known as ' _cooties_ ,' many of his possible future female friends would be hesitant to show their affection for him in this manner because of it. He'd have his work cut out for him earning those kisses and displays of affection, but Delia Ketchum didn't raise no quitters and he was determined that by the end of the summer he'd have his kiss from his first ever female friend his age. He smiled as he reached his front door at long last and the time dilation from his earlier train of thought dissipated slightly. ' _This summer camp session with Oak is gonna be epic_.'

XXXXX

_A Month Later_

Ash was already awake long before his ever trusty Exploud themed alarm clock started making an utter racket that reverberated throughout the house and sent his mother tumbling out of her own bed with a yelp… as it did every morning without fail. Ash had actually opted to keep it running in order to wake her up on time for her favorite cooking shows and the ' _how to make Pokeblocks_ ' program. He got up out of bed while reading to do his morning stretches and exercise before breakfast. His usual morning routines were carried out in their usual fashion until his mother called him down for breakfast and he all but bolted down the stairs in his excitement.

He was seven years old now and his seventh birthday was impending as the summer drew ever nearer. It was now the middle of June and Professor Oak's Summer Camp started on the first of July meaning Ash's birthday would be spent attending his first summer camp ever as Oak's own personal assistant. His mother had promised him time and again that she would celebrate his birthday beforehand and that some old friends of hers from overseas were moving to Pallet Town just in time for her prescheduled party and they were bringing their two children with them. Ash had grown up hearing of Grace Yvonne and the Valentino's from his mom all his life, and the fact that they had two daughters around his age was not lost on the boy he just never expected he'd get the chance to meet them in person. They were from the Kalos Region of all places, which was one of the six main Regional Pokémon Leagues Ash would have to beat in order to compete in the World Championship Tournament to defeat his father.

Recent outrages had sprung up from people of the even more distant Alola region, those who said their Pokémon League had a right to be recognized by the Worldly Pokémon League Association and that trainers should have to beat their Elite Four and Champion as well if they wanted to qualify. So naturally there was some debates among the Regional Champions and eventually it was decided by the President of the United Nations and Pokémon Leagues of the World that the Alola Region be formally recognized as a part of this chain so trainers would be required to travel to the Alola region to qualify for the world championship. Ash was okay with this recent transition since it gave him the opportunity to travel more and to even further and more exotic places; also being the son of the current World Champ and leader of the U.N.P.L.W. meant that Ash had some very big expectations thrusted upon him and the pressure to carry on the family business was always at the back of his mind.

Somehow learning that Serena Yvonne and Amber Valentino were moving to Pallet Town in time to celebrate Ash's town wide birthday celebration made him hopeful that they could all be friends. Somehow despite certain children's open distaste for Ash's prodigiousness none of them failed to show up for his birthday celebrations or Delia's over the top Christmas parties where she invited the whole freaking town over. Even Marina and Gary Oak played nice during such times in order to get a taste of Delia's home cooking which was a legend of Pallet Town in its own right.

Ash tended to shy away during such gatherings even when people like Leaf and Jimmy made such an effort to get him to open up and have fun a little but even despite the trouble his mother went to Ash had been such a recluse and composed individual that he didn't even bother to consider how the others must have felt when he brushed them off in such a manner. At the time he didn't really make much time for child's play and kid's stuff as the adults called them; he always considered himself too mature and above it all to see those sort of childish antics as anything but beneath him entirely. Now though he wasn't so sure, ever since that chat he'd had with Daisy a month ago he'd been questioning a lot of things regarding his prodigious lifestyle as of late and realized he was missing a great opportunity to forge powerful bonds of friendship out of fear of what might unfold if he let himself cut loose a little.

Becoming someone's best friend often stemmed from very fond childhood memories they shared together and in all the years he'd spent thinking himself too mature for kids his age something had slipped his mind. He _was_ a child, maybe mentally he was smarter than everybody else but emotionally and physically he was just as immature as all the other children. Hell he'd even throw the kids a bone and say they were emotionally older than he was since he'd been starving himself of basic human emotions from a young age, always afraid to feel due to the thought of what might happen to those he gets close to. He still had some gaps in his memory but something in his subconscious mind seemed to tell him that those were memories he didn't want to recollect just yet because he wasn't ready to deal with them. If that was the case, then maybe he suffered some childhood trauma or something; maybe he repressed certain memories and would relive them in some form of PTSD state of mind.

With all that in mind he'd been making more and more of an effort to just be a kid and enjoy his youth because Lord knows they'd be gone before he knew it. Maybe pretending to be a Pokémon, or playing tag or hide-and-seek with the other kids wouldn't be so bad. Hell, play was often a way to fine-tune one's mind and imagination and given how vastly Ash excelled in both of these areas already God only knew how much he could gain from engaging in the simplest form of ingenuity one often saw in the mind of a child. Simplicity was its own form of genius, and a child was the epitome of open mindedness since their brains were still developing and they were still figuring out what their limits were; still fathoming what they could and could not do.

It was a wonderful way to be and Ash had often envied the other kids for being able to toss aside grownup things so easily and in such a carefree way and just play around being downright silly or goofy or fun. So this past month he started smiling more and more, perfected his goofy, tooth filled smile and practiced it every day in the mirror; he even started going out to play in the woods and was surprised when the Pokémon and some of the other kids joined him. Today he was planning a bit of a playdate with the other kids and even decided to be civil and invite Gary and Marina as well; of course whether or not they showed up was debatable but usually if Jimmy came along then Marina inevitably wouldn't be far behind.

Jimmy was the only guy she got along with consistently and even Gary grated on her nerves to the point where she stayed out of any fights that broke out between Ash and his former childhood friend turned rival. She wouldn't pick any sides but she didn't pick Gary's side at any point, frankly she was usually pretty nice but got fed up with Ash's unnatural talent and his speeches faster than the others. Only Leaf seemed patient enough to put up with him for an indefinite amount of time and Ash was determined to make an effort to be normal for a change. The Yvonne's and the Valentino's wouldn't be moved in until later tonight and Ash wanted to get some time in with his fellow children and had the whole day planned for all of them. His mom had helped set this up as he reached the bottom of the stairs just in time to start cooking fried eggs on toast just like his mom taught him.

By the time Delia Ketchum came downstairs she was looking as awake and as full of perpetual life as Ash himself did without fail every morning. She had to, given the fact she had raised her insomniac of a son. Every night he only ever got four hours of sleep and then seemed to have enough energy to accomplish everything he could in the remaining twenty hours. Delia had long since learned that so long as he kept his mind occupied during the early hours of the night when he first woke up then she could get in some decent shuteye without him making a ruckus due to boredom or some other affliction.

"Hey mom, just thought I'd get breakfast started," Ash said without taking his eyes off of the fried eggs on stovetop pan. The toaster popped with four slices of toast just as he finished frying the eggs, startling him with the resultant popping sound as it did every damn time. "Arceus dammit, that confounded toaster gets me every time," Ash cursed as Delia chuckled. She was renowned for her swearing and cussing when not in civilized company and she let Ash do the same so long as he was in her company and hers alone. He was mature enough to understand the boundaries she set for him which made this whole raising a child business infinitely easier. In fact, he was usually so disciplined and so good at following the rules that she had started entrusting him with watching the house while she went away to Viridian City for the weekend to do some hardcore grocery shopping.

Red had left behind his Mew and Mega Evolved Mewtwo behind with her both of whom she kept hidden at all times but was ready to bust out the moment her child was put in jeopardy. She would allow no harm to come to her son while she was here but something did happen to him a few years back and her husband's Pokémon had since alerted her of the threat and that it had been neutralized. But she was worried this threat had made some kind of impact on her child including his ability to imagine friends or just be a kid for once. She had tried speaking to Red's Pokémon about this threat but they assured her that a guardian angel had already been assigned to Ash by the God Pokémon Arceus himself and they were just there as additional insurance.

Nevertheless, Delia had been worried about Ash's state of emotional wellbeing for a few years now and this last month or so of effort on his part had done her a world of good. Every time she mentioned the ' _imaginary_ ' Blue Mew he'd befriended as a child in recent years she could see the endless frustration in his eyes as he tried to remember her but kept drawing a blank. Delia had always known this so called oddly colored Mew friend of Ash's was never imaginary and that she must have been his previously assigned guardian compliments of Arceus. Whatever happened to her must have affected Ash horribly but it was something he needed to remember in his own time and not because she forced him to.

From what she could gather the poor Mew had given her life to protect Delia's child from whatever that threat had been and Ash had become so consumed with his grief that he locked the memories of her away due to them being too painful. She hated keeping so many secrets from her son including the secret stash of Master Balls in her dresser drawers in case of an emergency, but even though secrets had a price the truth sometimes cost so much more. She only hoped when Ash worked out everything she'd kept from him, (and it was only a matter of time given that impossibly big brain of his) he'd be understanding enough of why she made her decisions to one day forgive her transgressions. She hated herself for having to do it, but if she had to do it over again she would; as a mother you do anything it takes to protect your child, even if you have to break their trust.

She had all but jumped at the chance to introduce Ash to her old friend Grace's daughter Serena and Amber as well when Grace had called her a few months back and told her they were all moving to Pallet Town together. Originally the plan had been for them to move here in time for the two girls to attend Professor Oak's summer camp but with Delia planning ahead for Ash's birthday celebration they decided to reschedule the move for a bit earlier and planned to have their daughters attend Ash's party later on. It would be a great way for Ash to make some new friends and based on what Grace had told her the Valentino's daughter could give Ash a serious run for his money in the prodigious and intelligence departments. Ash needed to start making some new friends as well as befriending the kids here in Pallet Town right now… and to that end Delia was determined to make her little setup playdate Ash had scheduled with the other kids in Pallet Town as enjoyable for all of them as she could.

She was interrupted form her musing when Ash placed her plate full of Fried Eggs on Toast and some perfectly cooked bacon in front of her. She inhaled the rather greasy but still intoxicating aroma as Ash sat down with a plate with twice as much food as the one she had; knowing full well how much bigger his appetite was than hers and making Delia wonder, not for the first time if his body needed some kind of insane amount of food intake in order to compensate for his inexhaustibility for twenty hours straight every day. It would make sense that his being tireless would put a strain on his body unless he consumed the appropriate amount of caloric energy to sustain him through those twenty hours, but even still Ash's insatiable appetite continued to astonish his mother to no end and Delia was secretly very thankful for Red's unlimited funding because they were definitely going to need it.

"Looks perfect as usual Ash," she complimented him as Ash blushed a little at her praise. "Well ugh, perfection is kind of my minimum standard," he joked with a sheepish smile as Delia laughed. She was overjoyed by how much effort he was putting into his expressing his feelings and even just the facial expressions compared to the stoic disposition he had before was enough to reassure her that there was hope for him yet. Before she knew it she would be gushing in fondness as he introduced his first girlfriend and serious relationship to her one day; and she chuckled at the thought of her little boy becoming a man as she watched him scarf down his entire entre at an alarming rate.

"Seriously Ash, where are your manners today… chew your food and swallow before you take another bite, sheesh," Delia scolded him, but underneath it all she was smiling at how excited he seemed to be about interacting with kids his age. ' _Wow, that chat I asked Daisy to have him last month must have really gotten through to him_ ,' she mused as Ash swallowed the massive assortment of food he had stockpiled in his mouth. "Sorry, I guess I'm more excited about this than I thought," he admitted apologetically as Delia laughed.

"No apologies necessary Ash, and you never need to apologize about being excited about something but everything in moderation alright. It's okay to embrace your feelings Ash but remember that too much of a good thing often becomes a problem if left unchecked; this is true for both your emotions and your intelligence so be sure to harmonize them and find balance in yourself," Delia advised him sagely as Ash nodded understandingly. "You know, Daisy said something similar; I reckon you planned for me to go straight there at some point am I right," Ash knowingly grinned at her as Delia reluctantly nodded. She knew she'd been found out and that she might as well admit it.

"I know you've been close to Daisy for a really long time and often confided in here… don't worry she never told me what you said just that you guys spoke a lot," Delia hastily added when she saw Ash getting visibly upset, before sighing in relief as he visibly relaxed and leaned back into his chair. "I figured if anyone aside from me could get you to open up it would be her, it also helped in her case that you had a crush on her so I asked her if she could get you to start talking about the feelings you bottled up and locked away," Delia admitted as Ash sighed and massaged his temples. "I figured you had a hand in that, so you're the reason Daisy was after me to open up and all that. My initial reaction to finding out your involvement was admittedly being rather cross with you but in hindsight I realized you were only trying to help, and help you most certainly did," Ash smiled at her as Delia beamed at him with pride.

"I suddenly started thinking about it and realized that while I was mentally more mature than most kids my age I was physically no older than they were and emotionally I actually had some catching up to do. I've been thinking about it a lot recently and decided to give playing with the kids around here another go, plus I can't wait to meet Serena and Amber later tonight. I think I might have even heard the Machoke Moving Crew's van pull up earlier this morning, figured I might be able to help them some after I'm done with my peers today," Ash explained to her as Delia shook her head. "You'll do no such thing young man, you invited these other kids with you to spend the day together and spend it you shall… under no circumstances are you to show your face at this house until at least 9 o-clock tonight, understood," Delia said firmly as Ash nodded slowly.

"Alright, alright, no sooner than 9 PM; I can manage that, but you better keep in mind what will happen if Serena and Amber aren't here by then. After everything you've told me about them I'm looking forward to meeting them and I don't want to be disappointed and neither do you because as I've made clear before… you and the rest of Pallet Town don't want to know what I'm capable of when I get too overly emotional. Why do you think I repress them," he warned her tersely; Delia caught the hidden vibes of power present in his voice and his words and gulped somewhat nervously. Ash had made it abundantly clear more than once that there was a damn good reason he kept such a tight lid on his emotions; that there were things he could do and terrible things that would happen if he lost control of himself even for a moment.

She'd always known he was special but if what he hinted to her was true then perhaps his aura and spiritual powers were even more formidable than she realized… but to manifest within him at such a young age? It was unheard of in their world, and she worried that she might have to set him up with some basic aura training somehow before he even got to properly enjoy being a kid and dealing with normal kid problems like what to wear, or what his friends were doing that day. She knew the day would come when he would have to discard the life he had built here in Pallet Town to protect the world and maybe even the universe beyond that; she could only hope however that when that day came he'd have someone to walk that inexorable path by his side even when she and Red were long since dead and gone with their Pokémon passed onto him.

"You won't be disappointed honey, don't worry; just try not to get your hopes up too much with these girls because although they've never met you before you'll eventually wear them out if you talk over their heads too much or outperform them at everything without considering their feelings in the matter. It's fine to be yourself and to be talented at some stuff but remember not to go too overboard at it and always remember that there are bad ways to win and good ways to lose. Every time you outdo them at something you need to treat them like they're the victors honey; nobody likes the feeling of loss and one day soon you yourself may even meet your match. So ask yourself how you would feel if somebody beat you something, something you take great pride in and are really good at, something you feel like nobody else can do as good as you, and there was nobody around to console you during the prolonged feelings of inadequacy you'd likely experience at such a time. A lot of the kids your age just aren't made of the same stuff as you and sometimes you've got to slow down and set a less brutal pace for them to follow you around at instead of plunging on ahead and just expecting them to keep up," Delia wisely stated as Ash smiled and nodded understandingly. "I'll do my best, but if they're really my friends they won't expect me to just dumb myself down or limit myself because they've got an inferiority complex; they'll understand that they can't realistically expect to keep up with me all the time but maybe you're right about me helping and encouraging them to keep pushing themselves. If I can inspire them and give them an ideal to strive towards, maybe someday soon they'll join me in the sun, maybe one day I'll help them accomplish wonders," Ash stated profoundly as Delia gave him a radiant smile.

"That's wonderful honey, you'll be like a man of unlimited miracles helping out the less fortunate; that's all I'm saying Ash, you need to lead by positive examples and reinforcement, not by rubbing your prodigious talents in everybody's faces because even when that's not your intent when you're not as encouraging to them as you could be then they're going to feel discouraged. Playing alongside someone with abilities and talents of a prodigy such as yourself can be very disheartening Ash, so always be sure to be extra supportive of these kids when you outdo them at something, anything really," Delia stated. "I'll do my absolute best, it's honestly no fun being good at everything if I don't get a challenge out of beating someone and helping them attain the same level I'm at would be a good way to push myself as well," Ash excitedly stated as Delia chuckled and ushered him out the door as he finished his breakfast and slipped into his sandals as he opened the front door and ran out into the yard.

He found Leaf, Jimmy, Marina, and even Gary Oak waiting for him at the front gates; pleasantly surprising him with the latter two's appearance as Ash wondered if Delia had a hand in this. Maybe she spoke to their parents who then forced their kids to come in some manner, or maybe Daisy's argument with Gary last month had finally gotten him to see sense. No matter the case, Ash was determined to make this a day to remember as Leaf walked up to him with a kind smile on her face as Ash smiled back at her in return. He'd always liked Leaf and Jimmy best out all of them, but even the Bluenette and Gary seemed tolerable right now as Ash listened intently. "Hey Ash, your mom told us you've got some stuff planned, so what do you want to do," Leaf asked him invitingly, her warm smile making him feel all toasty inside as he shifted his feet uncomfortably, wondering what was wrong with him as he finally found his voice.

"Um, I was thinking we could go play in the forests, my mom and I set up a Picnic out there with a cooler and everything," Ash informed them as Leaf's eyes lit up in excitement and Gary decided to voice the one question that might have ruined any less prepared individual. "Aren't you worried that the Pokémon will eat all the food," he queried as everyone seemed to realize this and wondered if Ash had planned this through. To their surprise though Ash only laughed, "don't worry Gary, I asked the Pokémon not to touch the food and that it was really important to me and my friends. You'd be surprised how understanding they can be, there was actually this family of Rattata who volunteered to safeguard the food and the setup actually, though I don't fully understand why. Sometimes I wish I could speak Pokémon, then I'd know what was going on inside their heads," Ash informed them as Gary and Marina still looked skeptical but Leaf was positively beaming and even Jimmy cracked a smile.

"Ashy-boy always did have a way with Pokémon," Jimmy acquiesced, and Gary scoffed at that. "Oh please," he grumped, but that was all he said as Leaf giggled and Marina rolled her eyes. "Well if Ash says they won't touch it then they won't touch it. Oh I know, let's play follow the leader to the forest, Ash can be the leader and then we can play ' _I'm a Pokémon_ ' when we get there," Leaf suggested gleefully as everyone nodded in accord, including Ash as he prepared to lead the way and the rest followed. He remembered what his mom advised him about before and took it far more slowly than he would've originally, opting to set a less brutal pace and be more encouraging to those that fell behind.

What had started as an innocent game of follow the leader turned into a race as Marina, Jimmy, and Gary all pushed themselves to keep up and did so relatively well due to their competitive streaks but Ash could see Leaf having trouble and immediately slowed down as he ran alongside her; watching her struggle in her shoes as he realized they were dress shoes and not made for running. Ash cringed a bit, even sandals like his were infinitely preferable to dress shoes and it was no wonder she couldn't run very fast; her feet were probably getting sore just trying to keep up. "Um Leaf, those shoes can't be comfortable, it's no wonder you're falling behind actually," Ash stated while running, not losing an ounce of breath as he continued helping her along while the others looked back at them over their shoulders in complete perplexity.

"My shoes are okay, I'm just a bad runner," she huffed as Ash shook his head, an impressive feat when one considered the fact that he was also running but long distance jogs were as mindless to him as walking so this wasn't an issue for him. "Nonsense, I bet you're a great runner but proper footwear is a must if you're going to make full use of your legs and your feet. You see your dress shoes are made for stuff like parties and formal gatherings but not running. You'd need a pair of sneakers or running shoes to really optimize your running ability; but you also need to be willing to push yourself. There's nothing you can't do Leaf, not if you set your mind to it," Ash encouraged her as Leaf nodded and seemed to kick it into second gear.

Ash grinned like a madman as she closed the gap between her and Gary in the lead, managing to breeze past Marina and Jimmy who were too preoccupied with staring at Ash's sudden motivating personality with shock to realize that Leaf was essentially catching up to the leader in their little race. "Keep going Leaf, keep pushing yourself, and never give up until the end," Ash called after her as he continued jogging, waiting for them to reach the finish line which started at the forest of Route 1. It amazed him how much his simple words of encouragement had affected Leaf's outcome in this race, but before anyone could even process what was happening she'd forged ahead of Gary and won the entire thing. She was completely out of breath and red in the face but filled to the rim with euphoria at having won for the first time in living memory as Marina and Jimmy finished third and fourth with Ash bringing up the rear at dead last.

"Ha, Ashy-Boy finally lost, having a bad day huh," Gary taunted as Leaf glared daggers at him and prepared to defend their friend, but was surprised when Ash merely smiled. "Some things trump a meaningless victory Gary; helping your friends and inspiring them to one day beat you at your own game is way more important than some stupid victory in a race. At the end of the day it's just a race to me Gary. I win them every day, but to help someone else win for a change. Someone who only needed some small encouragement to push herself to new, previously unattained heights, that means more to me than winning a race ever did," Ash admitted truthfully as he beamed at Leaf and Gary gawked at him with slacken jaws. "Leaf you were absolutely fantastic, and that's without proper footwear or anything. Just think of how fast you could be with the right attitude and better shoes," he complimented her as Leaf flushed from the praise and both Marina and Jimmy stared at Ash like he had lost his already confounded mind.

"Something is very wrong with you right now Ashy-boy, you almost sounded likeable," Gary huffed as Ash quirked an eyebrow at him. "Cruel but good worse use for a seven-year-old," he simply said, understanding that Gary's animosity towards him was based on years-worth of compounded inferiority complexes and Ash outdoing him at everything. He'd had a lot of time to think things over in the month since his life altering conversation with Daisy, and he couldn't help feeling bad about the whole thing especially since he and Gary used to be such good friends. "Despite our heated rivalry Gary you always pushed me harder than anyone else and this past month I'll be the first to admit that I haven't been very considerate of your feelings whenever we engaged in friendly competition.

My mom told me just this morning that playing with someone whose natural talents almost effortlessly exceed your own can be very demoralizing. She made a solid argument when she asked me to think about how I would feel if somebody totally outclassed me at something I take pride in and am really good at, and nobody was around to comfort me in my time spent feeling inadequate. It got me to thinking that I wasn't very considerate of you guys when winning time and again and would rub my talents in all of your faces; that's why I organized this playdate actually," Ash told all of them as Leaf, Jimmy, and even Marina smiled at that.

"That must have been hard for you to hear," Marina finally said as Ash nodded in acquiescence. "It was at first, but I realized she was right; when you're really, really good at something you have a moral responsibility to share that talent with others… not reap all the glory and the benefits for yourself. Just know you guys that I never intended to hurt you or make any of you feel less than what you are which is brilliant; it was never my intention to make any of you feel… like you're not good enough at something. So instead of going full on superman like I usually do I've decided I'm going to take the time to help you all reach new heights by being more encouraging and being a better friend. And if that means I have to sacrifice a few of my victories to you guys then so be it. Frankly they're less important to me than they are to all of you anyways, something I take for granted; but by helping you guys in such a way I'm also helping you attain the same abilities that I have. One thing I've learned is you can have all the talent and all the luck in the world but it doesn't matter if you don't treat people nicely or if your own personality is garbage; I'm sorry again guys," Ash apologized and profusely confided in all of them as Leaf surprised him by hugging him from behind as he felt that familiar warmth pervading his entire being once again.

Marina and Jimmy both smiled, and even Gary's expression softened at the fond exchange as Ash held the brunette girl gingerly in his arms; not sure what else to do in her embrace and having little experience with this but enjoying the experience all the same. He found he was reluctant to pull away as he and Leaf broke apart and he grinned sheepishly at her before setting his sights on the forests of Route 1 standing before them all. "It's interesting to think that in a few years' time we'll all be traveling these forests as the first of many milestones in our Pokémon journeys," Ash commented with a faraway expression in his eyes as everyone nodded in agreement. "I try not to think about it too much, I want to just be a kid for a little while longer and have fun," Leaf admitted as everyone shared her sentiments including Ash.

"Admittedly that wasn't my first priority when I started preparations for my journey at age 4, but I'm starting to see that being a kid has its merits to; who knows I might really enjoy this but I'll never know unless I try right," Ash said almost uncertainly, Leaf beamed at him as she and Marina both grabbed one of his arms and marched him into the woods. "Hey, wait up guys; Ash is the only one who knows where we're going," Jimmy shouted after them as he and Gary run to catch up to the rest of their little entourage…

XXXXX

As Ash fully expected, and much to the surprise of his fellow children, the picnic basket was sitting perfectly intact with nary a scrap of food missing from its contents as a family of protective looking Rattata stood guard; keeping vigil over the basket and the blanket that had been laid out in the field as Ash thanked them all for their efforts and told them he could take it from there. "Hey you guys, these are the friends I told you all about; Gary, Jimmy, Marina, and Leaf, I'd like you all to meet the best family of Rattata I've ever had the pleasure of meeting in this forest," Ash introduced the family of purple rodent-like Pokémon to the confused group of children who weren't certain what to say or how to react.

"Rattata, Rat, Ratta," one of the female teenagers of the family introduced herself as Leaf recovered first and walked right up to give the Rattata a light pat on the head, squealing as she leaned into her touch. "Aw, you're all so cute," Leaf gushed fondly as the Rattata blushed at the praise. Ash had asked them many times why they always seemed so friendly towards him and from what he could gather they once lost a precious family member of theirs who had also been a close friend of Ash's at one point. At first Ash had thought he was misinterpreting what they were trying to say to him; but the more he thought about it lately the more he realized that his best Pokémon friend's death could've been what lead to the gaps in his memories.

Having read up on psychology and post-traumatic stress disorder and repressed memories being tied to traumatizing experiences; Ash suspected the Rattata's death had hit him really hard. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten about it but maybe it was best if he didn't remember; the family seemed to be extremely understanding of his predicament and their family member's death had done very little to shake their loyalty to Ash, if anything it only strengthened it. Naturally Ash didn't confide any of this in his friends, they were still kids with normal kid problems and did not need all of the shit Ash might have dealt with in his half-forgotten past.

Walking over to the picnic basket Ash took out a plastic wrapped plate full of Peanut Butter and Enigma Berry jam sandwiches and some homemade chocolate chip cookies his mom made in a Tupperware; his stomach growling at the mere thought of his mother's home cooking as he took out some biodegradable throwaway plates. Enigma Berries were as their names suggested and extremely enigmatic; always fulfilling every single nutritional requirement and taste-oriented desire of the sentient being who was consuming it.

As his mom put it, it was as nutritious as it was delicious and tasted different to every person according to what their bodies required and their taste buds liked the most; she explained to him that even level infinity Pokémon with insatiable appetites like Snorlax or Munclax could have their appetites curbed by Enigma Berry Pokeblocks which would become a source of infinite caloric energy to satiate even the most ravenous appetites. The fact that this feature also extended to people made Ash determined to keep up a constant supply of the stuff for recipes of all kinds for people and Pokémon alike during his journey. He was strictly a vegetarian due to absolutely refusing to eat Pokémon meat of any kind. He believed wholeheartedly that Pokémon were equally as sentient and at least as intelligent as people; if not more so, and eating Pokémon like Miltank from Miltank farms and the like was in his opinion an inexcusable crime. There was such a thing as synthetic meats and meat substitutes that tasted identical to the real thing but didn't harm any Pokémon which spawned from the increasing number of complaints against Pokémon League officials for killing Pokémon for meat.

Things such as burgers and the like could be made now by cooking up slabs of meat by manipulation of stem cells and what not, and maybe someday Ash might get to a place where he was willing to try them but for right now he was perfectly happy with a strictly vegetarian diet. Enigma berries were better and infinitely more versatile than any kind of meat a person could have anyways; fulfilling all of a person's daily nutrition requirements and even the caloric intake needed to maintain their perfect and proper body weight. It also stuck to your ribs and kept you feeling full and satisfied longer than almost any other food; making it revered as a miracle of Arceus by many famous chefs and Pokémon connoisseurs all over the world.

"Alright guys, my mom made us some sandwiches and a variety of finger foods and snacks; so dig in and help yourselves," Ash said as he passed around plates and everybody sat on the blanket in a misshapen circle. The boys seemed particularly excited to eat more of Delia's cooking but even Leaf and Marina were more than willing to help themselves as Ash passed them three half sandwiches each to start off and sweat dropped at the ridiculous amount of food his mother had made for all of them as they all stared at him with slacken jaws. "Sorry, usually my mom makes enough food to feed an army when inviting people over for one of her famous Christmas parties or my birthdays; I guess after feeding my dad and I for so many years she must have gotten the crazy idea that everybody eats as much as we do," Ash explained to them as Gary chuckled while the rest of them stared at him in surprise.

"You… never talked about your dad before Ash," Marina said in wonder as Gary murmured something under his breath. "Can't imagine why, considering who he was," he simply said as Ash shot him a warning look that surprisingly to everyone else made him Clampearl up. "My momma was Greta or Green the Contest Star and Champion trainer," Leaf whispered to all of them as everyone nodded with fascination. Marina decided that moment to pipe up, "my mommy was Kris or Crystal; one of the most famous Pokémon Researchers ever thanks to her being the first one ever to get data on all the known kinds of Pokémon in the Pokedex from Kanto all the way to Kalos. That was twenty years ago and new Pokémon are seen all the time but she gave Oak a good head start," Marina admitted with pride for her mom as Ash couldn't help smiling at that. Marina's mother was indeed extremely famous and instrumental in obtaining data for Professor Oak's Pokedex back in the heyday.

"What about you guy's dads," Jimmy piped up as Marina glared at the memory. "My dad cheated on mommy, so it's just her and me now," Marina whispered through gritted teeth as Jimmy smiled and nodded with sympathy. Leaf smiled at Marina in sympathy as she decided to add her piece. "It's hard when you have a daddy but he's not a good man; mine was a good man but he died when I was really young, mommy said he died in an accident at work," Leaf whispered sadly as Ash's eyes widened and Marina pulled her friend into a hug.

"Ugh guys, maybe we should talk about something else if this conversation is getting a little too heavy for all of you," Ash suggested meekly as both girls shook their heads profusely. "No it's okay you guys, we're both really proud of our moms and our daddy issues will go away with time," Marina explained to them as Ash nodded with a proud smile. "Exactly, time heals all wounds you guys; even if some hurts seem insurmountable at first," he sagely stated as everyone carried on chatting animatedly between bites of their extremely delicious jams.

"Oh man Ketchum, I don't know what your mom puts in that homemade jam of hers but it's the best I've ever had," Jimmy complimented him as Ash blushed. "Ugh, technically I made that jam; my mom just supervised and made sure I got all the steps and stages and ingredients right," Ash admitted sheepishly as Leaf and Marina's eyes both lit up. "You can cook?!" they both cried out in amazement, as though cooking something halfway decent was a foreign concept for them when the cook in question was the same age as them. Ash refrained from making a smartass comment and took a moment to understand that most seven-year-olds couldn't cook to the same extent that he could. He opted instead to smile and nod in affirmation as both girls squealed excitedly.

"Can you teach me, my mom always says she will but she never finds the time," Leaf requested of him like a fanatic as Ash and both the other boys sweat dropped at her and Marina's palpable excitement. "Ugh… I guess so, but maybe not right now," Ash replied, somewhat flustered as both of them cheered in ecstasy. "Alright," they cried out in joy as both gave each other a double high-five with both of their hands. Ash couldn't resist the urge to smile at them as both of them immediately recovered and blushed from their embarrassing display of overexcitement.

"Sorry about that, so what about your dad Jimmy," Marina queried, remembering what they were talking about before Jimmy made the comment on Ash's homemade jam; which if she was being completely honest was the best jam she had ever tasted and seemed to taste like all the stuff she absolutely loved in that sort of sandwich. Jimmy shrugged while talking a big gulp of Oran Berry Punch that Ash's mom had helped him whip up. He had been hesitant to take the credit for making all of this food and drink since his mom had coached him through pretty much the whole thing; but she told him flat out he was pretty much self-sufficient in the kitchen and she was only there for added insurance.

"My dad was Gabriel Grant or Gold as he was also known as; he's famous all over the world as a runner-up for the World Championship and a member of Red's Golden Elite Four members," Jimmy rattled off as if he rehearsed the explanation of his father every morning in a mirror as Ash and the others stared at him in surprise. "Dude, you never said anything," Gary exclaimed in surprise as Jimmy shrugged. "You never asked," he said simply and the others realized he had a point. "What happened to him Jimmy," Marina asked in awe and wonderment as the usually laid back boy suddenly grew a frown.

"Don't know, he was just gone one day saying that Red had called for a meeting with his Golden Elite Four members; you said Benjamin vanished around the same time didn't you Gary," Jimmy redirected the conversation to Gary as the Oak heir nodded. "Yeah, he said something about someone trying to topple them from their thrones of absolute power and refusing to let them get away with it; can't really say I understand what he meant but if someone is hunting the world champion and his golden Elite Four members then they're going to be sorry I say," Gary shrugged as Ash finally piped up. "Depends on who that someone is Gary; what I find strange is how so many famous trainers and families came together in this one town, even stranger than that is your father Jimmy. His disappearance as well as Blue's matches the time that my own father vanished without a trace; I still wonder to this day what they were planning but they must've taken those threats to topple them seriously or they wouldn't have gone into hiding as they did," Ash astutely stated as everyone reluctantly nodded including Gary.

"As much as I hate to say it I think Ashy-boy is right; our relatives are some of the strongest trainers ever, and if they thought they had to leave then whoever this person was must've been a really strong trainer or something," Gary admitted as though saying as much took a physical toll on him. Ash was interrupted from his own internal musing as Marina shifted her focus on him. "So what about you Ash; who was your daddy," she asked him as Ash's typical response of ' _I don't know_ ' was one his tongue; before he decided that they'd trusted him with their family secrets so it was only fair of him to do the same. "My father was Red," he said simply, as Gary snickered and the others bolted in pure shock.

"Say _WHAT?!_ Your dad was Red, as in _the_ Red," Jimmy asked just to be sure as Ash nodded hesitantly. Jimmy scoffed in obvious skepticism, "yeah right man, you're full of it," he disbelievingly stated as Marina and Leaf both searched the raven haired boy's eyes for any sign or hint of deception but found none. Gary turned to Jimmy with an uncharacteristically serious look. "Jim man, Ash is telling the truth; it actually explains a lot if you think about it, why he has such a way with Pokémon and all that other stuff," Gary rationalized as Jimmy and the others stared at Ash with what almost seemed to be respect and admiration. Ash couldn't help blushing in embarrassment as all eyes fell on him almost simultaneously. "It's really not much more of a stretch than Gold being your father Jimmy; fact is we're all children of exceedingly famous parents," Ash stated in an effort to divert some of their fascination.

"Being the child of a Golden Elite Four is amazing but people only see the one at the very tip-top Ashy-boy, and that's your dad; I'm jealous," Jimmy admitted with an amazed chuckle as Ash rubbed the back of his back neck with a nervous chuckle. "That's amazing Ash, why did you never tell us before," Leaf wondered as Ash heaved a mighty sigh. "What's to tell, the only experiences I have of him are through the videos that my mom taped of his League and Gym battles; he was never a father to me and disappeared when I was really young. To be honest you guys I don't have any clear memories of my father at all and he abandoned me and my mom a long time ago; so good riddance I say. I don't care who you are; you could be bloody Arceus for all I care but if you make my mother cry you're officially out of my good graces and I lose any respect I might have had for you," Ash hissed resentfully as the others stared at him in respect for how much love he had for his mom and Marina and Leaf both beamed at him.

"Still though," Jimmy started before insistently adding. "He's the world freaking champ; that's gotta be huge!" "To be honest Jimmy it's a lot to live up to; my mom and even Professor Oak look at me with such pride because of who my father is. And although they never say it I can see in their eyes that they expect me to accomplish at least as much as my old man did in his prime. It's a lot of pressure, but they've showered me with such praise for the promise I've shown so far that I'm starting to believe that maybe I can live up to what he accomplished. Besides, if a man like him who abandoned his wife and only child is the current world champion; then maybe I've got considerably less to live up to and surpass than most people are giving the bastard credit for," Ash bitterly stated, his voice positively dripping with acid that caught all of them off guard as Marina and Leaf stared at him with wide, sympathetic eyes.

"If you ever wanna talk about it you can always talk to us you know," Leaf reassured him. She and Marina both scooched over to sit closer to him, "yeah, I'm really starting to like you now Ash; I'm sorry about all the times I picked on you; I didn't like feeling bad whenever you beat us at something but this day has been great so far. So if you want to talk we're both here to listen. These sandwiches and cookies are really yummy," Marina added her two cent's worth. Gary leaned over and whispered into Jimmy's ear, "Ashy-boy is really good with the girls; how do you think he does it?" the seven-year-old Oak boy wondered as Jimmy shrugged and kept right on eating his third and final half a sandwich.

Ash was surprised by how nice the girls were being to him and almost smirked when he heard what Gary whispered to Jimmy; maybe getting that kiss on the cheek wouldn't be so hard after all. He found himself enjoying this time he spent with all of them; he was also surprised by how much they seemed to understand about the heavy discussion they'd had. Whoever said youth did not equate with wisdom or understanding clearly never met children like these four; they all seemed to have issues in their pasts that tied them all together and the fact that all of them were descended from such distinguished parents was not lost on Ash. "Oh Gary, I almost forgot to ask you; what about your father," Marina suddenly remembered as all eyes immediately focused on Gary who thrived on the attention and proceeded to explain his family history further.

"Well, you guys know my mom is Andromeda, my older sister is Daisy, and my older brother is Benjamin or Blue Oak; my grandfather explained it like this. The Oak gene skipped my father's generation and passed onto all three of his children instead; and with such talented kids my dad felt like he wasn't good enough to be our father or something. He just kinda left one day with a note to my mom explaining why he left and while my older brother saw it coming a long time ago Daisy and I were shocked," Gary told them all with a note of sadness in his voice as Ash nodded with compassion. "Sounds to me like he had a serious inferiority complex; he'll need to sort that out if he ever wants to be a proper father to you guys," Ash commented as the others agreed even if they had no idea what an inferiority complex was.

The family of Rattata had long since left them to their devices but would occasionally poke their heads in to check on them. Ash noted this with appreciation while listening to Gary rant. "The funny thing is we never cared if he wasn't as smart as us; he was a great dad just by being there," he admitted sorrowfully as Marina and Leaf both hugged him; surprising the boy as he sat there with his arms thrown up in midair. Ash decided to wrap this conversation up, "so now that we've established we all have daddy issues; why don't we talk about or do something else," Ash suggested hopefully as everyone seemed to agree wholeheartedly.

"Hey, what was in that jam anyways Ash," Jimmy sighed contentedly while licking his lips as Ash smiled mysteriously. "Can't tell you, it's my family's recipe, a trade secret," he teased while chuckling. "Aw come on man, you're no fun," Jimmy pouted as everyone shared a laugh at his expense. Leaf suddenly started bouncing up and down on her butt in excitement as she remembered something. "Hey I know; why don't we play ' _I'm a Pokémon_ ' now?" she suggested as everyone grew excited by the prospect of playing the Pokémon roleplaying game so many children nowadays got entangled in. Even Ash had to admit the thought of playing silly childish games held a certain appeal to it as Leaf opted to go first.

"Okay, okay, um hey everybody; I'm a Bulbasaur all the way from Cerulean cave, and I'm really, really strong because of where I live but I like to play more than fight," Leaf introduced herself as Ash furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "But Leaf, Bulbasaur aren't found in…" he started but Marina interrupted him. "Shush Ash, it's all pretend so it doesn't need to be like real-life," she explained to him as Ash contemplated the logistics of a playful Bulbasaur growing up in a place that breeds infinite power such as Cerulean Cave. He knew better than anyone that didn't make any kind of logical sense since the Pokémon there were all naturally obscenely powerful and of a strictly battle-oriented mindset. Innocence could not flower in such a place and in that kind of environment might truly made right; only the strong would survive there but he decided not to ruin the fun for now and just try and run with it.

Marina took it from there as she introduced herself as well. "Hello Bulbasaur, my name is Totodile and I come from a place called the Whirl Islands in Johto; there's lots of whirlpools and stuff there and the caves are filled with lots of strong Pokémon so it can be hard for a Totodile to make it there but I understand how you feel. I'm not as strong as you are and I was kicked out of my home for not being strong enough; I came all the way to Kanto to look for a new place to live," Marina launched into a lengthy anecdote as Ash nodded. That explanation was a bit more acceptable; being an outcast in a place that bred naturally strong Pokémon seemed much more likely than Leaf's scenario. Still though there were no records of the Totodile evolutionary chain in the Whirl Islands at all ever but he'd let it slide.

Jimmy started slightly when he realized it was his turn. "Oh um hey guys, I'm a Cyndaquil and I was born in Professor Elm's lab before my trainer turned out to be a bad one and I left him. He wasn't good enough for me so I'm on my own now," he said as Gary picked up immediately where he left off. "Hey, Benjamin Oak's Blastoise here; I'm just passing by while on a Pokémon summer vacation, my trainer is really famous and strong you know," Gary stated with boredom as Marina rounded on him. "Gary you were your brother's Blastoise last time, can't you play something else," she asked him as Gary snorted. "This game is dumb, no offense guys but count me out of it okay," Gary stated plainly as everyone seemed to realize at the same time that not only was this Ash's first time playing their game but it was also his turn. "Your turn Ashy-boy, think you know how this game is played now," Gary teased him mockingly as Ash stuck his tongue out at him in a very uncharacteristically childish manner that surprised them all.

"Hello you guys; I normally don't show my true form to others but I'll make an exception this time. My name is Mew and I come from beyond the confines of your reality; I like to spend my time playing with every toy I can find and creating bubbles of psychic energy to bounce around on and other things," Ash finally said as Gary quirked an eyebrow and Jimmy burst out laughing, tears of mirth in his eyes. "Oh man Ash you're… killing me, of course you'd pick a freaking legendary," he guffawed as Gary smirked at him. "You may be Red's boy Ashy-boy but no way are you good enough to be a Mew," he teased him as Ash fired something back that would endear both Leaf and Marina to him forever more.

"Just because I'm a Mew and a legendary doesn't make me too good to play with other Pokémon Gary; all living legends start out as nothing more than what you are now, regular Pokémon, and if a Mew such as I can do it then why not all of you. As a legendary Pokémon I'm honored to play with all of you because without you guys I'd have nothing and nobody to be legendary by the standards of; nobody to play with who accepted me for who I am not what I am. If being a legendary, godlike being means I think myself better than everybody else then I don't deserve this power or mythical stature and I sure as heck don't deserve the friendship of such ordinary, remarkable Pokémon such as yourselves.

So please, let us all play games together without a care in the world," Ash pleaded with them while staying in character. His words conveyed a deeper meaning beyond the game itself, and while it took the majority of them a few moments to catch the hidden meaning behind his speech… both Marina and Leaf stared at him with pure smiles and adoration before throwing their arms around him and hugging him in almost perfect unison. Ash was caught off guard by the sudden reaction and fell back onto the Picnic blanket with a small "oomph" as both Leaf and Marina were pulled on top of him mid-hug.

The three of them blushed profusely as the two girls pulled away from him, but feeling somewhat daring; Leaf surprised Ash when she smiled and kissed him on the cheek exactly like he'd dreamed about. A warmth similar to the one Daisy's kiss had distilled inside him broke out into a full body blush as Ash stuttered adorably in surprise. His stomach was whooping like crazy as though he were on the wildest of roller coaster rides, and the sensation on his cheek where his lips touched was akin to a pleasant burning tingle. It was undoubtedly the single most intoxicating feeling he'd ever experienced and he knew now he'd never be able to get enough of it.

"I'm confused, what just happened right now," Gary asked Jimmy. "I don't know, but Ketchum's really on fire today and I'm kinda jealous," he breathed back as Leaf remembered it was her turn again. "Oh um, hi Mew, Totodile, and Cyndaquil; nice to meet you all. We'd be happy to play with you to Mew, thanks for joining us today. Today we're going to play Pokémon truth or dare; we each take turns doing a truth or dare and we can know more about each other to," Leaf suggested as Marina started next. "Okay, um, I pick Ash… um Mew; so Mew, truth or dare," Marina asked Ash as he opted to go with truth.

"Okay, so before Bulbasaur; have you ever been kissed by a girl before," Marina smirked at him teasingly as Ash blushed to the roots of his obsidian hair. "Oh um, yes actually; I was kissed on the lips by a human girl named Daisy Oak one time while disguising myself as a human," Ash admitted sheepishly as Gary's jaw dropped and Jimmy snickered while both Leaf and Marina stared at him with pleasantly surprised expressions. "That's so cute Ash… I mean Mew," Marina squealed while smiling at Ash's obvious embarrassment. Jimmy continued smirking and proceeded to whistle appreciatively.

"Damn Ketchum, first Gary's sister, now Leaf and Marina; you really have a way with the ladies," Jimmy laughed maniacally while Ash shifted uncomfortably in his seat and Leaf and Marina both glared at the laughing boy. "Ash is just a really nice guy; girls like that Jimmy, maybe you could learn something from him," Marina admonished him as Jimmy instantly stopped laughing and blanched. Leaf was more appalled by the fact that he swore, but she was still bothered by the fact that Ash had been kissed before and couldn't understand why. Maybe she was just being territorial of her friend; because despite all of their teasing about love and mushy romance and stuff it was long day away for when they took those grownup things seriously.

A few more rounds of Pokémon truth or dare were played and even Gary joined in from time to time; the rest of the afternoon was spent playing in the forest and the Pokémon as Ash noticed the sun dipping below the treetops. Stopping as he finished tagging Gary _it_ and checking the time on his watch from his mom; Ash called for the games to stop and started packing up the Picnic basket and blanket as his friends gathered around him. "Alright guys, time for us to go home for supper; I've actually got some other plans for later tonight and have to meet and greet our new neighbors. If my guess is correct they should already be moving in and I want to see the Machoke moving team in action and maybe help out a little if I can," Ash informed them all as everyone nodded in acceptance.

"I've got to go to Gramps' lab and make sure he's home in time for dinner; the old fart tends to get too busy to come home in time for dinner so my mom sends me to go get him," Gary told them as Jimmy added. "Yeah, and my mom will want me home by curfew or I'm going to be grounded for a week." Marina and Leaf seemed reluctant for the day to end but eventually accepted that Ash had other arrangements. "I had so much fun today Ash; thank you for everything," Leaf whispered adoringly at him as Ash rubbed the back of his neck with his right hand. "Anytime Leaf, thanks for coming out with me you guys. It was… educational," he admitted with a fond smile as Leaf grinned at him like the Cheshire Meowth from the movie Alice in Pokémon Wonderland.

"Educational huh, more like fun… just say it Ash, you had a butt load of fun today," Marina teased him with a smile and a wink as Ash chuckled in a good natured manner. "Alright, alright, yes I had fun you guys; thanks for playing with me today. It meant more than I can say with words, and I know a lot of words so that's no mean feat," Ash admitted with joy pervading his entire being as he, in a rare display of bravery; pulled both Marina and Leaf into a loving, friendly hug that enticed two excited squeaks from the pair of them as both wrapped their arms over top of one another around Ash's waist.

"Thanks for everything you guys; we'll pick this up tomorrow if you like but I want to see what these new neighbors are like. My mom was good friends with Misses Grace Yvonne a long time ago and apparently she and the Valentino parents have a daughter my age so I was kind of hoping we could be friends to. But if you like I can invite the two of them over to play with us again tomorrow," Ash suggested somewhat hopefully as Marina nodded briskly and Leaf's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Oh that'll be wonderful; I can't wait to meet them Ash, now go make friends with them okay. And we'll see you tomorrow right guys," Leaf said excitedly as everyone agreed to meet back here tomorrow at some point as the picnic area had sort of become their spot to play around in.

Ash couldn't withhold the smile and got a massive case of the feels just hearing how nice everyone was being to him; if this was how good having friends felt to him all the time then he didn't ever want to stop. He was beginning to realize that Daisy had been right; all he had to do was let his emotions go and the rest would take care of itself. He just didn't realize that his capacity to care for others could be so… _limitless_. It made him feel like he was on cloud nine when leaf had kissed him earlier and today had been the most fun he'd ever had in his life; since when had engaging in senseless play with other kids become such a precious thing to him. He didn't know the answer to that but he did know that he wanted to keep it up.

"Alright, so I'll walk with you guys as far as your houses," Ash offered as Leaf and Marina smiled at his continued politeness and playfully grabbed either side of him by the arms as they marched him out the way they came into the forest. "Lead the way sir Ash," Leaf chuckled in a poor but adorable imitation of a lady from medieval times. Ash chuckled as he walked both girls out of the forest and Gary and Jimmy brought up the rear. Within five minutes or so they were back on the outskirts of Pallet Town overlooking it from the rolling foothills.

"Alright guys, let's go," Ash quickly commented while dragging Leaf and Marina along behind him; albeit gently as they both laughed at his enthusiasm. It took them precisely three minutes to reach Leaf's house; Jimmy and Gary had already broken off from the rest of the group with a couple of brief goodbyes, and Leaf let go of Ash's hand only once they reached her house. Marina looked to the two of them with a smile on her face, having been very pleasantly surprised by today's events and warming up to Ash in one day to boot. If he acted this nicely every day she could definitely see herself playing with him for years to come.

"Have a goodnight Ash," Leaf said before pecking Ash on the cheek one last time and giggling at his blushing face as she ran inside her front door and closed it behind her with a snap; leaving Ash and Marina to walk to the Bluenette's house next. As they walked in a companionable silence Ash contemplated Leaf's affectionate nature and how nice she had been to him compared to Gary initially. He had made a really honest effort and it had such a drastically positive effect on all of them.

He had always liked Leaf's genuine kindness and acceptance of him; and had always entertained the possibility of befriending her closely and maybe even becoming something more to her in the future, but with Marina, Jimmy, and even Gary warming up to him he realized maybe he had good friends in front of him all along. It didn't even require him to really change who he was, but rather to change his approach and how he dealt with his own skills as compared to theirs; he was so glad he took his mother's advice and he wouldn't trade the friendship he'd forged with these people for anything.

He didn't know it then but he and Leaf would never wind up together in the romantic sense like he thought about today; but children can definitely dream especially when it comes to the future, and Ash definitely had huge goals in mind for himself and anyone who was able to win his stone cold brilliant mind and endlessly warm heart at the same time. One thing was for sure, the girl he ended up with would have be extremely driven, goal-oriented, aiming for the top of whatever dream they strived towards like him, and able to keep up with him on an intellectual level or at least smart enough to get the gist of him.

"What are you thinking about," Marina said suddenly, breaking Ash out of his thought process as he decided to be honest with her. "I was thinking how easy it was to change my approach with you all and how much I wish I would've tried harder to earn you guys' friendships years ago." Marina couldn't help but smile hearing that. She didn't always understand what Ash was saying due to his advanced vocabulary for his age but she got the gist of it; especially today since he seemed to be dialing it back by 11. She was glad she had given him another chance. His mother had been right; he really was trying to be a better friend to all of them, one who lifted them up when they lost instead of shooting them down or simply remaining indifferent to it all.

"Well you did a very good job, I had lots of fun today Ash thank you. Well, this is my house," Marina pointed out to him as Ash realized they had indeed arrived at her house. It was the closest one to his as he walked her right up to the door and flashed her a genuine smile. "I had a lot of fun to," he admitted as Marina laughed. "You sound surprised," she noted, surprisingly astute for a seven-year-old as Ash chuckled. "Honestly, yeah I kind of am; I didn't expect to have nearly as much fun playing these silly children's games as I did. I was going to make the effort because it mattered to you guys and I wanted to redouble my efforts to start off fresh with you guys and everything, but I wasn't anticipating actually having such a blast," Ash told her; having considered her approval of today to be the real victory here since Marina was the harder sell. Leaf was too friendly and outgoing not to have fun with what he had planned but Marina had been a bit of a wildcard to him; he didn't really know where he stood with her today until now.

Marina laughed again, nearly startling him as he jumped a bit. "Wow, you must've been puzzling and puzzling really hard there; you had this crazy look in your eyes that said you were maybe having some really heavy thoughts," she insightfully stated as Ash stared at her perplexity. "When did you become so good at reading people, and at seven-years-old no less," he wondered. "Hey you're seven to, and my mom told me you can always tell what a person is thinking by looking into their eyes. I never understood what she meant until I met you, your eyes are very expressive Ash," she told him as Ash smiled and blushed. "Did you guys like read a dictionary or something today; not to sound condescending or anything Marina, but the word expressive is not something a typical seven-year-old knows the meaning of, let alone how to use it in the right context," Ash questioned her like a curious Mew as he inclined his head at her.

"Look, don't tell Gary I told you this; but we've all been reading up like crazy to try and keep up with your crazy good word use. Tell anyone this and I'll beat you up Ash, but even when you and the rest of us weren't really good friends you pushed us all to better ourselves; you gave us this… thing we could try and live up to, I don't really know enough words to say it any better than that but you get it right," Marina admitted shyly with red on her cheeks as Ash smiled warmly at her. "That… actually means a lot that you guys would do that, and I won't tell anyone I promise. But why are you only telling me this now Marina, I could've helped you guys with learning new things and stuff if you really wanted to try and be like me," Ash sincerely stated as Marina giggled softly.

"Gary said it would make you get a fat head or something, and before today I believed him," Marina told him as Ash laughed. "Before today he might have been right," he said back as both smiled shyly at each other; the seven-year-old in both of them coming out in this moment as they ran out of things to say and Marina hugged Ash one more time before starting up the stairs to her front porch. Ash was just about to turn around and head straight for home but he was interrupted by Marina calling his name rather quietly.

Turning back around to face her, Ash was rather startled when Marina flew down the stairs and planted a sloppy kiss on his cheek that left him both stunned and feeling that thrice-felt warmth and whooping stomach as Marina blushed in obvious humiliation and hurried back up her front stairs before shutting the front door with a quiet snap. Ash rubbed his cheek a bit to get the moisture from her mouth off of it as he grinned like an idiot and caught a hint of Marina's mother greeting her home as he turned away and started heading home with toothy smile splitting his face from ear to ear.

He could see the moving vans in the distance and the Machoke Team working overtime to get both houses fully unpacked and furnished. It turns out his mother's friend Grace was as rich as his family due to her husband being Richard Yvonne the leading member of Red's Golden Elite Four. So it came as no surprise to him that his mom Delia didn't even need to chip in for her friend when Grace hired out a construction crew a few weeks ago to build two brand new houses for both families right smack dab across from and beside the Ketchum Residence at the end of the dirt road. Unlike most of the larger cities Pallet Town wasn't paved with asphalt but instead had either gravel or dirt roads or a mixture of the two. Another house had been built around the same time a few houses up the road from the Ketchum Residence but Ash had no idea who was moving into it.

Ash had tried to offer some of his help but the construction crew team insisted they were good on their own and decided to try and humor him rather than insist he'd only get in the way. Ash liked that they didn't try and state the obvious like he was too young or just a kid and knew jack shit about building houses; but still they were bad liars when it came to the subtle art of humoring a child although Ash reckoned he was smart enough to see through all but the most skilled in the art of deception. He was young but he wasn't naïve or stupid but any stretch of the imagination; the IQ testers themselves declared his IQ was infinitely beyond human norms and his learning rate easily rivaled that of level infinity psychic types who could solve the most intricate and complex puzzles and problems in world record shattering times.

Coming up to his house and feeling his excitement build to a crescendo, Ash was mildly disappointed to see no sign of anybody at the houses aside from the group of Machoke, but his mom did mention they would be arriving by plane later this evening so he could always exercise some patience. Ash had asked if they were moving their cars or something by ferry but Delia told him they didn't have or need vehicles since Grace's level infinity Rhyhorn offered ample transportation for the experienced rider and besides that they could simply call a taxi from Lumiose city or something; but even if they didn't Lumiose City was only a few hours or so away from Santalune which was about an hour's walk from Vaniville town where they lived.

He didn't know as much about the Valentino's but he was interested in meeting their daughter because time and time again he'd heard the Valentino patriarch telling his mom his daughter could probably give Ash a run for his money in the intelligence department. Ash wasn't going to get his hopes up until he gauged just how true that statement was himself firsthand but the thought of an intellectual peer excited him more than he cared to admit, and plus Serena just seemed like such a genuine sweetheart even if she had some issues with self-confidence and independence. He walked through the already open front gate and went through the narrow side yard to the backyard fence and opened up the gate there before slipping into the backyard and getting his mom's attention with a clearing of his throat.

"Oh hey honey, how did everything go with your friends," his mom asked him sweetly as she tipped her Squirtle themed Squirtbottle and poured a healthy dose of water out from it into the soil below where some healthy looking Enigma tree sprouts were starting to show. "Excellent actually, not only did the picnic go off without a hitch but I think I finally got to a place where we can all call each other friends; I had more fun today than I can remember having in a long time enough, thank you so much," Ash whispered in adoration as he surprised Delia with a rare hug. She was momentarily shocked by Ash's unexpected display of affection but quickly recovered and returned it; she hadn't seen him this affectionate in a couple of years now, not since he was still four years old. It didn't seem like that long ago to her since the years just seemed to go by so fast but it was.

Pulling away from the fond embrace between mother and son, Ash decided to voice the question that had been on his mind since he got back. "So have the Yvonne's and the Valentino's arrived yet; because I saw the Machoke teams out front but nobody else present to indicate their arrival just yet," Ash asked as Delia smiled at her son's rather poorly contained excitement. "They'll be here soon so go inside and get ready for dinner alright; I'll be right in after I finish watering the plants, you can even get dinner started yourself if you have lots of energy to work off right now," Delia said ushering him onward and indoors as Ash smirked at her teasingly.

"You know, most mothers wouldn't entrust the wellbeing of their kitchens and food-related health to their seven-year-old sons," Ash chortled. "Most mothers also wouldn't have such extraordinary sons to deal with on a regular basis. Now run along mister smarty pants," Delia replied with a teasing grin of her own as Ash ducked his head and ran inside like the hyperactive kid she knew and loved. Smiling and humming to herself, Delia continued to water the plants while contemplating the enigma that was her son as well as these berries she harvested every day. ' _You'd think the strangeness of his personality, situation, and prodigious abilities would wear out after a while but if anything it's only gotten stranger in recent years. Every time I think I've got my boy figured out, he surprises me all over again; oh well, at least it'll never be boring. I'm really going to miss him when he goes on his Pokémon Journey to be honest_.'

XXXXX

The plane ride from Kalos to Kanto had been equal parts thrilling and terrifying for Serena whereas her best friend simply laughed it off. She and Amber had been given seats of their own with their parents sitting in the row directly in front of them. Serena clutched her seat in a death grip and checked and rechecked her tightly fastened seat belts as the air cruiser hit another stream of turbulence and gave a mighty quake. "Ugh, planes are terrifying," Serena groaned dejectedly as Amber smirked teasingly at her. "Scaredy Meowth," she taunted as Serena pouted at her cutely.

A teenage boy sitting in the seat a few seats to Amber's right suddenly piped up. "You know, turbulence very rare causes planes to crash." Amber turned at the sound of the voice and found herself mesmerized by a 13-year-old plus boy with obsidian colored hair blacker than anything she'd ever seen in her entire life and the most wonderfully multicolored eyes she'd ever gazed into. It was like staring into a pair of iridescent hyper-giant stars, stars irradiated with a boundless brilliance of power and light. Never in her life had she seen eyes that held such power and deep expressiveness; they seemed to convey the eternal nature of a man who'd seen and done… _everything_ , yet that was impossible because the boy sitting to her left was barely a man in the eyes of the law.

"No offense or anything, but your little factoids aren't helping her much." Amber replied to him in a slightly stiff manner once she recovered from the shock that his appearance had put her in. To her annoyance, he carried on as though he hadn't heard her.

"What you really need to worry about are microbursts… sudden downbursts of air associated with thunderstorms; a large enough one of those even in an aircraft this size… if we hit one of those at the wrong altitude…" He paused a moment to make a splatting sound effect while pounding his right fist into his left palm. "Pulverized!" He added emphatically, his gaze inappropriately excited and fascinated at the so called 'fun tidbit' he was sharing. Serena was close to hyperventilating at this point, on the verge of a panic attack as Amber groaned.

"For the love of Arceus, please shut up… you're not helping!" Amber pleaded desperately as the older boy only just became aware of the fact that Serena wasn't looking any better, and he nodded slowly and fell silent.

"No, it's okay Amber… I'll be alright; besides, it's not like there's a thunderstorm here anyways." Serena said in a way that seemed like she was talking herself through it. The older boy looked like he was about to say something- probably something along of the lines of the weather being able to change at the drop of a hat thanks to various infinity Pokémon- but Amber glared heatedly at him and he closed his mouth before any words could spill out.

"Exactly, and it's like I told you Serena… statistically speaking flying is the number 1 safest way to travel; way safer than driving in a car and you ride in one of those all the time." Amber rationalized.

"I can agree with your friend on that point actually." The boy beside her commented idly as Amber sighed in relief.

"Thank you, alas I thought you weren't capable of saying anything helpful." Amber quipped, half-expecting him to get all huffy and indignant at her comment and not caring whatsoever if he did; to her surprise and delight however he simply grinned at her.

"Sorry about that… I have a tendency to rattle off random and maddeningly unhelpful statistics when I'm nervous or apprehensive about something. I reckon it might be part of the autism but it could just be me." He apologized; flushing sheepishly as Amber gazed at him in surprise… feeling a little less hostile toward him now that he told her this.

"You're autistic huh? It's rare to find that peculiarity in today's world." She commented as Grace and her parents listened to the conversation quietly; making their own inward opinions about the strange boy who was talking with both of their daughters like he'd known them for years.

"Yeah, with all of the miracle medicines of the modern era I actually manage it pretty darn well without having to get it treated necessarily. Still, I'm sorry for causing you and your friend any trouble; I had no ill intentions." He responded as Amber nodded understandingly... even Serena paused to listen to the boy and let his rambling distract her from her own worries. It was strange that she was so quick to latch onto anything or anyone able to help her cope with her apprehension about being on a plane.

"Apology accepted. I'm Amber, Amber Valentino; may I ask who you are?" Amber politely introduced herself as she stuck out a hand beside her, waiting for him to shake it as he grinned and accepted her hand in a firm grip… surprising her with his strength and rough calluses.

"You may indeed, call me Thomas or Tom but never Tommy. My full name is Thomas James Currie, and I hail from the Kalos Region in Lumiose City." He replied excitedly.

"Nice to meet ya; we're from Vaniville Town ourselves." Amber informed him as Serena piped up as well.

"My name is Serena Yvonne; nice to meet you." She said with a closed-eye smile, looking much better now as she reached over Amber to shake his hand to.

"Pleasure all around young ladies; so I take it the woman in the seat in front of us is your mother then Serena. Grace Yvonne is a household name; also, I'm pretty sure your parents are a Champion-Level Trainer and Pokémon Performance winner respectively aren't they Amber? It's great to meet all of you; I'm something of a Champion Trainer myself." He said to both girls and their parents as a unit; surprising the older Yvonne and Valentino's as they regarded this young boy in a different light.

"You're a Champion Trainer… at your age? How old are you exactly?" Amber's father couldn't help but ask, his daughter sensing within him that familiar battling spirit as he eyed the young man beside her with excitable curiosity. Thomas chuckled sheepishly and brushed a hand along the back of his neck.

"I'm 13-and-a-half-years-old Mister Valentino sir." He replied in an exceedingly polite manner as everyone's eyes widened.

"Only half-a-year to reach that rank… damn, that's some kind of record." Amber swore with an appreciative whistle as Thomas chuckled and leaned backwards; an embarrassed smile on his face that seemed to add to his cuteness.

"I'm autistic remember… well excelling at all aspects of Pokémon training is my fixation." He informed them, and Amber nodded as though that made sense. She caught sight of a familiar gemstone hanging off his neck, albeit one she'd only seen in books before, and she rounded on him with eyes wide with awe.

"You have an astral gem?!" She gasped, and he turned to look at her fascinated staring before nodding briskly.

"They're really rare, how'd you get one," Amber asked him as the young man whispered back to her. "With a great degree of difficulty and scouring of the globe." He responded vaguely, a mysterious smile on his face as Amber smiled.

"That's amazing; so not only do you have an Astral Gem, but you're a Champion Trainer to boot?! I'm honestly jealous." Amber admitted as Thomas developed an interest in his shoes; a small smile on his face.

He couldn't help but find Amber's enthusiasm infectious and her praising of him more than just a little flattering. The amber-eyed girl's mother then decided to say something as well. "I've gotta say young man, you're quite impressive to have made it this far in your battling career at such a young age." She complimented, only serving to further the boy's embarrassment.

"Thank you for your kind words of praise you guys; seriously, it means more than I can say that my talents are appreciated by others around here." He gushed fondly as Serena and Amber beamed.

"Where in Kanto are you going to be moving to? Maybe we can swap Holo Caster numbers or something? Once I go on my own Pokémon journey I'd love to battle you." Amber requested as Serena smiled at their exchange.

"I'm heading to Pallet Town; after I finished collecting all of the gym badges in Kalos and beat a Champion Trainer in the Kalos League preliminary rounds I decided a change of scenery was in order. Kanto is next on my to-do list; though whether or not I partake in the Pokémon League Challenge right away or not is up in the air. But I am looking forward to having my own place; I've been kind of living on my own ever since I started my journey and my family understands my need to be my own man. Besides, wanderlust is an incurable infatuation, and I'll never truly be rid of it. Once the traveling starts it is damn near impossible to stop and settle as it were." He broke off of his ramble when Amber's eyes lit up and she squealed excitedly.

"This is so awesome! Its fate, we're moving to Kanto and Pallet Town to; we'll all be neighbors," Amber shouted excitedly as her mom whispered shushes to her halfheartedly but was smiling herself. Serena was shaking her head at her loud and boisterous friend but was glad that Amber seemed so excited about the new friend she'd made. The age difference didn't seem to matter to either of them since both had found a kindred spirit in the other; it seemed as though Thomas was a match for Amber's wits as well… though how high he ranked on the IQ ladder was hard to accurately gauge.

"That's an odd coincidence," Thomas said, frowning in confusion as Grace and Amber's mom and dad exchanged a secretive smile with each other. Whoever this boy was it seemed a greater power was at work here; maybe fate had designed a plan where this remarkable young man was fated to meet their daughters and by extension possibly Ash as well. Whatever higher power governed this fated chance meeting; Grace was certain it wasn't accidental or a coincidence.

"So you have all the Kalos badges, I know I've said this before young man but that is truly remarkable at your age," Amber's dad said as Thomas smiled. "Thank you sir, or um… do you prefer Mister Valentino," he asked politely? The Valentino patriarch beamed at him with obvious approval, touched by the boy's manners. Whoever had raised this young man raised him well and had taught him everything he needed to know to make a fine man of himself.

He had at first been worried that someone so young would be living all alone in a full sized house but he seemed mature enough and he also had his Pokémon with him if things got tough. "Call me Tyler since you're technically the legal adult age and since we're all going to be neighbors, and this is my wife Marissa," Tyler introduced himself and his wife as Thomas gave a light, courteous bow of his head with a smile to indicate them both as Marissa and Tyler both acknowledged him before returning to what they were doing upfront.

"So is your stuff already moved into your new place," Amber wondered as Thomas laughed out loud. Wondering what was so funny, Amber was about to ask when he answered for her. "I don't need to carry tons and tons of suitcases Amber. My Astral Gem is more than just a means to obtaining any number of Pokémon. I can also store an unlimited supply of items inside it to and it'd still have vast quantities of free space. Astral Gems have many mysterious properties, one of which earns them the nickname Pocket Totalities. What this means is basically their interior dimensions are infinitely larger than the outside and they always create exactly the kind of space needed for any and every contents stored inside them," Thomas informed her as Amber and Serena's eyes widened. Grace couldn't help whistling appreciatively as everyone sat there thoroughly impressed.

"I suppose that's why they're so rare, maybe it is Arceus's way of telling us not to abuse such an incredible item; maybe their rarity increases their value to." Amber stated matter-of-factually as Thomas nodded. "Oh immeasurably Amber, you can't put a finite price on the value of these astral gems. That's why I keep it around my neck at all times, not that it's really necessary cuz my Pokémon will massacre anyone stupid enough to try stealing from me and the very space they rest up in." he informed her with a serious face. Amber nodded in silent awed wonder as Serena piped up. "That's really cool! I can't wait to see what Pokémon you have!" she said. "You'll just have to wait and see when we reach our destination," Thomas told her as both girls nodded in acquiescence.

"If you guys will excuse me for a moment though, I need to use the loo." Thomas excused himself as he unbuckled and got up out of his seat and moved across the lane down to the back of the plane with flawless coordination, dexterity, and balance that surprised even Amber with her nimble foot movements. As she started to strike up another conversation with Serena… everything froze without their knowing. The plane and everybody on it, the whole entire Omega Omnisphere suddenly entered a suspended state of motionlessness as Thomas seemed to be the only thing moving now; a knowing smile plastered on his face as he stared at the people stuck in time all around him before speaking aloud between the tics of a Planck instant.

"I've established contact with the future OO champs of this universe Timbias; Rena 9BI choose to meet them at a specific future time period for her recruitment operations, but I decided to take the long way around and keep vigil over this planet in the past. It also gave me the opportunity to continue to earn all the necessary victories and components to induct me into the OO Championship the proper way; so Kanto first, what do you think?" Thomas asked an unseen entity as the voice of his starter Pokémon Timbias the Thomas Infinity Greninja responded.

' _It's a viable plan, but what's with the physical age regression; why appear to them as a thirteen-year-old boy_?' Timbias wondered as Thomas laughed in outright joy.

"Well, they wouldn't relate as well to me if I were my proper age plus I reckon the parents would be more uncomfortable. This way at least the age gap between me and the future Totality Champions is not as big. But enough about that, based on my knowledge regarding the UV, Omninoir 9B6 will try and sabotage this plane and kill the OO champions onboard; so it's a damn good thing we showed up when we did isn't it?" Thomas said after sending his progress report across time to 9BI in the future and telling his Pokémon to be on guard.

With that out of the way he unfroze everyone and retook his seat beside Amber and Serena 9 by 6; just in time for the plane to start jerking about far more violently than any turbulence could accomplish and for an evil vibe to permeate the air and cause the temperature to drop by several degrees by the second. Ignoring the sudden screams of terror and the mounting panic he sensed inside Serena and Amber through his connection to everyone's personal ESIT signature via his ZOFed powers of Omni-Empathy; Thomas Infinity shook his head and sighed with slight agitation. "Ah, you can set your watch by it. Omninoir 9B6 really does keep well to his scheduled times of appearance in the omni-dimensional continuum." Thomas chuckled madly under his breath with a manic gleam in his eyes as he and Pokémon prepared to get to work. Whether the Anti-God Pokémon knew it or not; nobody on this plane was going to die today, not on his watch.


	4. Prologue: Part Four- A Miraculous Plane Rescue and Pallet Town's Newest Residents

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything, and I don't make any profits off this guys. I'm poor as piss, so don't sue me lol._

Prologue: Part Four- A Miraculous Plane Rescue and Pallet Town's Newest Residents

"Everybody, hold on!" Amber heard Thomas shout to everyone on board the jumbo jet just as it took a steep nosedive and began to plummet at terminal velocity from 35 thousand feet in the air. Everybody screamed in abject horror, including Amber who felt the g-force of their fall press her and Serena's backs up against their seats; leaving them powerless to do anything about their predicament as the gravity of both their situation and the terminal velocity of the plane weighed down on their chests.

Amber's heart jumped in her throat, her terror mounting when she felt a soul-chillingly evil vibe permeate the very air she already struggled to breathe… and it took everything she had not to hyperventilate in a series of fractured, uneven breaths. The auburn haired girl trembled in all-consuming fear when she heard a psychotic cackle reverberating in the back of her head; the sound turning her blood into ice and causing both her breathing and her heartbeat to become erratic.

"Everyone, please remain calm. Our members of staff are currently employing the use of psychic Pokemon to transport everybody out of here… _oh my God_!" The voice on the intercom shrieked at the top of her lungs as Amber felt bile rise in the back of her throat. A sickening series of _crunches_ that sounded far too much like bodies being crushed into mincemeat, bones being grinded into dust, and vital organs being smeared over top of everything in the cockpit bombarded Amber's auditory senses; as well as a massive sloshing sound comprised of liquids much thicker than plain old drinking water. To make matters even more horrifying, there was a _whoosh_ of demonic power that blared through it for all to hear. Amber vomited the second she heard the various sounds with disgustingly vivid clarity; knowing that the pilots and every person and Pokémon in the cockpit had been _slaughtered_.

She burst into tears, wanting nothing more than to curl into a fetal position but unable to move due to the plummeting aircraft creating upwards g-force and her seatbelt locking her to her chair. As if all that wasn't bad enough, but in the next instant the interior space of the falling plane darkened several hues as though someone tinted the entire world, and a voice accentuated by unquantifiable amounts of sadism echoed pervasively throughout the entire jumbo jet.

' _ **All of you pathetic mortals, this plane is your grave. Abandon any notion of your survival, for when the dust settles and your feeble sun grows cold and the stars grow old… only the darkness; the Primordial Void will remain**_.' The demonic voice told them all with soul-chilling nonchalance, like orchestrating the mass slaughter of humans and Pokémon didn't disturb it in the slightest. The response to his words was pandemonium. Those select few who weren't already ridden with panic began screaming… knowing that their death was absolutely certain and nothing could change their wretched fates.

"Amber! Hold onto me… please! I don't want to die alone!" Amber heard Serena hiccup from beside her as the two girls somehow found the strength to move their hands just far enough to clasp one another. The strain of managing just that simple movement was harder than anything they'd ever done before, but they now held hands and scrunched their eyes as tightly closed as they could manage… trying to will away their tears as they awaited their inevitable end. What the hell else were they supposed to do at this point? It would take nothing short of a miracle to save them now and Amber didn't really believe in Divine Intervention; she was too much of an analytical mind to put stock in such myths without sufficient evidence to back it up.

Whatever this Entity or Dark God was, its presence was _awful_. Amber felt as though all the happiness and positive energy had been siphoned from the very fabric of the world, and all that remained were her very worst experiences... which for a 7-year-old girl were not terribly tragic, but to be left with nothing but her very worst days and memories, it hurt her more than she ever thought it could. Serena felt weird, like she'd never be cheerful again after this experience, and that was assuming they even made it out alive.

In front of her, her parents weren't faring much better and had been reduced to poor, trapped, terrified creatures much the same as them. "We're going to be okay Serena." Amber whispered desperately, the both of them knowing damn well that she was lying through her teeth. Serena's grip on her hand became so painfully tight that her knuckles turned white and her fingers turned purple as the circulation was cut off. Thomas meanwhile, was the only calm individual left on the plane… but that didn't stop the ancient, primordial rage from showing on his face as his endlessly polychromal eyes narrowed. If Amber and Serena could've seen the look on his face right now; they would've been almost as scared of him as they were the monster. Fortunately for the kids, his anger wasn't directed at them… Not. At. All.

The one thing he couldn't stand in this lifetime; apart from Bugs Bunny, psychotic clowns, karaoke, and mimes, was listening to children cry. It brought out a nurturing side that made him want nothing more than to take away all their pain. Sadly, he could only truly do that by erasing their memories of what they'd experienced. Some truths were hard, and he loathed them with every fiber of his being; the fact that the lessons these people learned from pain were the ones that made them the strongest. He wanted so desperately for that to not be true; to enable them to grow as individuals without having to experience such hardships and tests of character. It was the same thing he dealt with back in the Small Pond Universe. He always detested it when his Serena cried and his first instinct was to do anything and everything he could to make her counterpart and Amber feel better; just like it was his desire to make his first Serena happy no matter the cost to him personally.

He was a different man back then, but some of his character traits seemed to have carried over in this regeneration. Back then, he would've done anything to make the woman he had fallen in love with happy… even if it wasn't with him. He was loathe to admit that he was every bit as self-sacrificing in this life as he was in the previous one.

Now, he found himself with a true dilemma; how to deliver these poor children and everyone else on board from the ultimate pinnacle of evil in their universe. He found it to be a delicious sort of irony that even after everything he'd seen, done, and been through, things most people wouldn't dare believe, things beyond almost any and all reference frames; he still couldn't stand to see children cry. All that pain and loneliness; all of that misery and 2000 eternities worth of adventure across the Triple O itself, and it just made him kinder than he'd ever been.

It was at times like this when Thomas hated the rules that bound him. As a ZOF Prodigy he could do almost anything on an Omni-Totality encompassing scale; there was absolutely nothing he couldn't do… but he wasn't supposed to. Ripples, tidal waves of Omni Omega Omnispherical backlash, fundamental laws, rules, and all of those other excuses he used as a justification to not involve himself too deeply… well they were more than just excuses. AIB knows he could very easily end the struggle between this world's Ash and Omninoir before it even began, but that would only hurt this Omega Omnisphere's continuity further down the road. How many more people could die further down the road, if Ash 9B6 wasn't propelled to new heights because of his enmity with the Anti God Pokémon? Defeating Omninoir here and now, would ultimately do more bad than good for this world and the worlds beyond.

As much as he hated not being able to do more… he knew he'd have to limit his interference to simply rescuing this plane. Ash's future enmity with this creature was meant to serve as a stepping stone, a springboard that would propel him to new and unprecedented heights; the likes of which he could never have managed on his own. It had taken him lifetimes to master, but Thomas had learned to see the big picture and still care enough about the individuals as well. After 2000 eternities, he had learned that there was a damn good reason the Zenith Omnidonae didn't get so heavily involved in the affairs of the less powerful pantheons and species… not unless the need to do so was overwhelmingly necessary.

' _Still_ …' He grinned inwardly, knowing that there was one big loophole in this same old life that he could properly exploit. He may not have been able to solve all of these people's problems for them, but whoever said he couldn't help them at all? He may not be able to kill Omninoir or even permanently cripple him… but he would be damned if he didn't lay the smack down on him hardcore. Temporarily inconveniencing him seemed appropriate for now… and Thomas was inclined to help Ash, Serena, and Amber down the road as much as he could without actually robbing them of their self-sufficiency.

In her panic-addled state of mind; Amber was only slightly aware of Thomas closing his eyes beside her as though meditating, and in the desperation of the moment didn't think to question why he was exhibiting such an otherworldly calm despite their deaths being right around the corner.

XXXXX

Projecting a copy of himself outside of the nosediving plane via Omni-Replication; Thomas Infinity levitated thousands of feet above sea-level in his fully adult form… which was mostly obscured by the one-piece suit comprised of ZOF-enhanced polymer. He took all of three Planck Instants to assess the situation at hand and postulate an infinite number of different scenarios and stratagems to counteract this plummeting aircraft and the Ungodly Entity that floated just a few dozen meters in front of them.

' _Timbias, I need you running damage control with that aircraft and to get the people on board to safety by ANY MEANS NECESSARY. I'll handle Omninoir_.' Thomas telepathed to his starter; the infamous 'Peerless Greninja', as the aforementioned ninja frog nodded before floating downwards after the plane at hypersonic velocities; breaking the air behind him with a massive sonic boom. The plane had long since lost both its wings and was now rotating downward in an uncontrollable spiral. Thomas had sensed Omninoir's intentions to keep it on its collision course and decided to split his focus by attacking him while Greninja got everyone to safety. It was a testament of their bond that neither Pokémon nor Master questioned the other or how they intended to do their respective jobs; they just did, and Thomas felt a surge of pride at how far he and his Pokémon had come even since Small Pond Serena had tragically passed on.

The air split apart on a molecular level as Thomas caught the demonic black Mew off balance by ramming into him full force… already taking precautions to render this Omega Omnisphere and the ones closest to it unyielding and unbreakable to the Clash of Titans that was to break out. Omninoir hissed, surprised and more than a little disturbed to feel pain as something or someone struck him at instantaneous rapidity, even from his otherwise invariant reference frame. The midair body tackle sent him rocketing across the skies and disappearing into the clouds as he willed himself to cease any and all involuntary movement… his body halting just below orbit as he got his first look at his would-be assailant. The nerve of this man… did he dare believe that anyone could strike the Anti God Pokémon and live to tell about it afterwards?

" **Such hubris; you would dare challenge me?!** " Omninoir growled threateningly, a dangerous edge to his voice, like an infinite megaton explosion just _waiting_ to happen.

"You speak as though challenging you is the most daring thing we've ever done, but I bet your infinity counterpart whom we beat a few centuries back or so would have quite a difference of opinion!" Thomas retaliated without an ounce of fear in his voice, and Omninoir narrowed his eyes. All sane creatures feared him and his kind, those that didn't were often more dangerous Anti-Gods themselves. If this person didn't display any of that fear, then Omninoir 9B6 would have to teach it to him. What he said though… that may have accounted for the bravado this foolish person was showing him.

" **I will give you one chance to walk away, stand down or I will make you join these mortals in their purgatory**!" Omninoir threatened, manifesting an aura of killing intent and fear-inducement that would stop the hearts of any being not functionally omnipotent on an Omega Omnispherical scale. He was only slightly surprised when this mysterious humanoid figure didn't even bat an eye, but rather glanced at him with an expression of otherworldly calm. He could feel the barely controlled, primordial rage brewing beneath the surface, and felt an unprecedented sliver of apprehension.

"Nobody is going to die… not today Omninoir; not on my watch." Was all he said, and then he was gone in a whirl of speed so ludicrous it defied all logic and broke the invariance of Omninoir's infinitely astute frame of reference. Omninoir's eyes widened in the first display of dread he'd ever genuinely felt before.

"What manner of creature…" He started, but broke off with a fractured gasp of pure pain as something like a fist drove itself deep in his gut; causing the clouds all around them to immediately displace and dissipate as spittle, vomit, and _blood_ were all forced from Omninoir's mouth and stomach simultaneously… the infinite force of the blow damn near knocking him out as he recovered just in time to teleport himself away. He teleported all the way to the other side of the Ultra-Verse; way outside of the UV's indigenous Pokémon Multiverse and somewhere within the DC sector, or was it Marvel? In any case, he only bought himself a split-second reprieve at most and attempted to block his presence from view.

"This is impossible! I am destruction in its most omnipotent form; I cannot die, I cannot bleed, and I certainly can't be hurt with such ridiculous ease. What is this power?!" He gasped in true terror, an emotion he was not accustomed to and didn't care for; not one bit.

' _Not 'most omnipotent', not even close_.' The voice of who he assumed was his assailant telepathed to him in a pervasive, omnipresent echo; a voice that would put the fear of a higher power into him like nothing had ever done before. No longer was he concerned with bringing death to that plane full of people; all he cared about now was his own survival. Self-preservation instincts were never something he had an issue with before… but now that his life was in actual danger for the first time in forever; he wanted more than ever to plunge upon the complete unknown and become the sole survivor of the Omega Omnisphere. Maybe he could discover what this power; this force seemingly beyond infinity was while he was at it.

' _It surprises you doesn't it? To think that something so omnipotent could ever experience this kind of pain! Right now your brain is threatening to short-circuit from the sheer overload caused by this obscene paradox. You want to know how I know this?! Because every ON member in your situation felt exactly the same way the moment a Zenith Omnidony graced them with their presence. We exist to put the fear of God in… God; rouge members of the Omnipotence Nexus who exercise their otherwise unlimited power without any mercy get the same treatment you're getting right now, and it hurts… doesn't it_?' His attacker taunted him, effectively toying with him as Omninoir snarled like a wounded animal… which given his current demonic Mew form he pretty much was.

" **What manner of creature are you… ANSWER ME**!" Omninoir roared back in retaliation, wincing slightly as the pain from his fractured ribs and bruised internal organs was still there. His eyes widened when he realized he hadn't instantly healed from his opponent's assault; his instantaneous healing factor deserting him for the first time in all of his countless years.

"You are in no position to be making demands." His mysterious attacker responded, clearly close enough now to speak aloud to him. Omninoir still couldn't see him though, no matter how much he wracked his omni senses his new enemy continued to elude his every attempt at viewing him.

"I'm vibrating at speeds beyond your Omega Omnisphere's concept of infinity; faster than even your 'all-seeing' eyes can process." Thomas responded to his unasked question as Omninoir's red eyes popped open wider.

"That's impossible! You can't be doing this… the only way how is by Logic Manipulation, and no ON member has this level of control or precision with that power. Your very presence should be detonating Reality irreparably with the sheer magnitude of the omnipotence paradox you're creating. Such a power has no master even amongst the omnipotent… so how are you doing this?!" Omninoir desperately queried, unable to recall the last time he had been this utterly mind-fucked or mystified beyond compare.

"You know… I've never much cared for that word. There's no such thing as impossible Omninoir; my very existence is the ultimate testament of that fact." Thomas Infinity proclaimed as he immediately covered the distance between him and the 'almighty' god of destruction and flicked him once in his catlike face. The finger flick looked perfectly normal from the ZOF Prodigy's viewpoint… but the force behind it was equivalent to ten billion Omni-Novas going off in Omninoir's face all at once.

He was sent blitzing across the vacuum of space faster than any shooting star could ever hope to be… landing on some unnamed asteroid with what should've been enough force to blow it up and rip a hole in the fabric of Totality itself on top of it. Thanks to Thomas's arrangement for Multi-Totality preservation however; even the obscurest space rocks were rendered unyielding and immovable… which only made Omninoir's landing that much more painful. Rather like Loki when the Hulk smashed him around like a ragdoll in the first Avengers movie; Omninoir gave a whimper of pain as he lay spread-eagled on the unyielding, rocky terrain of the asteroid.

He'd never felt pain like this before; hell, until today he didn't realize it was logically possible for him to feel pain at all _ever_. In the back of his infinite mindscape he wracked his uncountable number of brains for any mention of this Zenith Omnidonae race that his assailant spoke of, and came across some obscure references to that very term in his nigh omniscient informational hub.

Unfortunately, what he knew wasn't much… only that these ON members were selected by a force beyond all concepts of infinity and omnipotence within the Omega Omnisphere, and that they supposedly had such utter mastery over Logic Manipulation that they could create seemingly countless hierarchies of absolute power with them standing above regular Omnipotence Nexus aspects at varying degrees. This could present a serious problem if it was left unchecked… but there was one thing this Zenith Omnidony probably wasn't aware of.

He rose slowly from the asteroid he crashed into, red lightning dancing off his clawed fingertips and arcing around his body as he tapped into his own Logic Manipulation powers… albeit a far less stable variant of it. " **I admit it… your presence here surprised me and it still intrigues me even now. But there is one thing you didn't count on; something that will cost you very dearly for not considering. Unlike my other counterparts; I'm not afraid to tap into my own variance of Logic Manipulation. Why would I care about damaging the fabric of Totality irreparably… when destroying it is what I'm after in the first place**?" Omninoir gurgled with endlessly bountiful sadism. Thomas Infinity's eyes narrowed dangerously as the situation very quickly escalated… knowing he'd have to end this fast or Omninoir would become immense, and unstoppable.

Throughout the void of the Omega Omnisphere their battle raged… spanning the course of uncountable different points in space and time alike; their warring encompassing the entirety of the Ultra-Verse, its many worlds both within and beyond its Pokémon Multiverse, and even the worlds past the UV itself. These beings, unmatched by any other in the known Totality, took their battle to some unknown location and temporal point in the UV; the churning turmoil of chaos and primordial vitality that spawned from their superluminal collisions resulting in the creation of some seemingly unnamed universe so far in its past that they were indirectly responsible for that universe's Big Bang. Unbeknownst to either Omninoir 9B6 or Thomas Infinity, this newly created universe would give rise to Ash Ketchum 1 Million in the very distant future.

They reappeared at the opposite ends of the UV simultaneously, or at least that was what it looked like from their ludicrous speeds. Thomas upped his strength as he prepared to finish this and erase Omninoir's memory of this encounter before this could escalate any further. For the first time… he felt afraid of the Anti-God Pokémon; not that he hadn't fought logic manipulating Gods before, his defeat of O-Sirluko way back in his very first lifetime 2000 eternities ago was proof of that… but this was potentially a very dangerous situation. And if Thomas didn't end it soon, Omninoir's inadvertent connection to the Chaotic Aspect of the ZOF would make him too powerful to stop through sheer force alone; even to the ancient ZOF Prodigy.

Increasing his speed, Thomas Infinity began a cosmic-scaled game of Ping-Pong with himself as both players and his adversary as the ball. He delivered a flurry of superfast infinite mass punches that even his enemy couldn't see coming as Omninoir was sent meteorically plummeting to another unyielding planet. Before he could land however, Thomas was already there and waiting for him below in the lower atmosphere, executing a flawless upwards and midair spiral kick into Omninoir's gut.

The assault created a sickening crunching sound that sounded suspiciously like more bones snapping and even organs rupturing, followed by an almighty _clap_ that instantly reversed the Omega Pokémon's motion despite the absolute g-force his body had accumulated. Thomas absorbed the momentum into his body to further prevent any possibility of Reality's collapse- his ZOF-Power-Levels already maxed out due to his status as a ZOF Prodigy; so he didn't grow any stronger but true to the vast majority of his people the excess energy was siphoned off as additional fuel for the mythical ZOF Barrier which was the only prison that could hold ZIB… an Entity whom many believed to be the first being ever granted the power of the ZOF and the mightiest of them all-. The force of the spiral kick sent him back in the direction from whence he came. This one-player Ping-Pong tournament ranged all across the Disney Megaverse, from Ron Unstoppable's home world in the past to Omni Stitch and Yuna's in the future, and so on and so forth.

The Lion King universe was witness to a pair of shooting stars colliding ceaselessly in the sky, colliding in a series of sparks and generating tremors that could be felt on the planet billions of miles away. These stars gave off a purplish-black and kaleidoscopic light respectively, before vanishing in a wisp of stardust and gaseous hypernova explosions that lit the skies up like the fourth of July.

Aladdin, Jasmine, Genie, and the others were forced to shield their eyes as a searing heat blanketed the heavens of their earth like the sun shining in the dead of night; before vanishing and leaving behind an exceptionally beautiful Aurora Borealis.

Disney's Hercules strained under the weight of the falling skies themselves as something caused the polarity of the cosmos to shift and the Greek Gods' spheres of control to go into complete disarray.

The mighty seas rose to terrible, world-breaking heights, the earth became a twisted, burning landscape, and the skies themselves fell upon the world as the gods scrambled around Olympus in an impotent panic on what to do. It was as he held up the sky that was normally Atlas's burden to bear that Hercules became aware of two presences of unbelievable power the likes of which no god he knew of could achieve.

Fortunately, the presences chose to retreat the next second and the divide between the sky Uranus and the earth mother Gaea was no longer as narrow. The seas seemed to settle down before any permanent damage could be done as well, but this day would no doubt go down in the history of that world as the foretelling of some form of Ragnarok or Armageddon as the Christians called it.

" **DIE**!" Omninoir roared at the top of his lungs, and when a wielder of the Chaotic ZOF Aspect's energy screamed, infinitely removed Omega Omnispheres shook and the Realm of Absurdities created a symphony of every high and low note of power unimaginable by sentient life. Otherwise omnipotent beings trembled with instinctual terror at the pervasively echoing sound.

Glowing purple balls of death energy materialized all around the Black Mew's body and fired out towards Thomas Infinity at superluminal rapidity; a ceaseless barrage starting as Omninoir's opponent took evasive maneuvers, disappearing and reappearing all over the Totality-sized battlefield on which they fought… blinking in and out of visibility faster than even the Anti-God could process; though he was improving his abilities by an ever-increasing margin and would soon be able to match his adversary in every respect.

In the blink of an eye, Omninoir was instantly whisked someplace different by Thomas as the ZOF Prodigy attempted to drag him outside of his indigenous Totality and by so doing… cut off his connection to his Omnipotence Nexus and by extension the ZOF. Omninoir reacted almost as fast and grabbed Thomas in the midst of their outer-space grapple and disappeared with both of them quicker than his opponent anticipated. With the power he had now he was confident he no longer had to wait to destroy the Omega Omnisphere… he was honestly kicking himself for not using this approach sooner and would have to thank his adversary for pushing him this far. This didn't change the fact that this Zenith Omnidony was a problem, and Omninoir couldn't think of a better place to deal with him and prove his sovereignty to all than in the very universe this whole fight began. So he whisked them away with the intention of ending this battle in the 9B6 Universe.

"We're gonna crash!" Amber screamed as the plane drew ever closer to the ocean waters below. Maintaining her death grip on Serena's hands, Amber scrunched her eyes shut and continued praying for some kind of miracle or divine intervention from Arceus himself. She still had so much life left to live, and at only 7-years-old she was way, way too young to lose her life so tragically. This simply couldn't be the end, could it? How in Heaven above was that even remotely fair? She would've scoffed at the idea of death being any fairer than life if she wasn't so overwhelmed by everything that was happening.

Such was her mental imbalance in those horrifying, gut-wrenching moments that she didn't immediately realize that the plane had somehow done the impossible and halted in midair. She couldn't think or even breathe in those last few moments as her heart raced like a level-infinity Rapidash in her chest and her brief existence flashed before her eyes. There were memories pertaining to her family and Serena's of course, but more of her most treasured memories were based around Serena herself. The times they played together in the woods on Route 1.

There was also that one time they snuck out on a pretend journey and managed to get themselves lost in Santalune Forest; before some strange but kindly man with a maddening grin who wore a fez and a pink and purple polka-dotted bowtie of all things managed to hear them crying, and showed them the way out. In what she believed to be her 'final' moments; she noted the odd similarities between that strange man's appearance and the 13-year-old boy Thomas who had been sitting beside her this whole time while giving off inappropriate levels of serenity that didn't fit their current situation.

It was as she was looking beside her once again to suddenly find Thomas missing from his seat that she became aware of another, even more mind-fucking realization. Their downward momentum had ceased entirely; there was no g-force, or forward thrust that pushed them out of their seats, they were literally just halted in midair. Amber's infinitely overdeveloped synapses fired at an alarming rate as her mind attempted to process this information, this new development threatening to short circuit her brain altogether.

"What… just happened?" She only partially heard Serena ask from her left side, her naturally timid voice dazed and dreamlike in a way that matched the stupor Amber was currently dealing with.

"I don't know." Amber wheezed unintelligibly, for once just as confused by what was going on as her blonde haired friend; it wasn't that Serena wasn't smart, she certainly was and years of friendship with a super-genius like Amber had enabled her to pick certain things up. But there were just some aspects of the mind that the auburn haired girl vastly excelled at comparatively. So naturally, Serena was surprised and slightly disappointed when Amber didn't immediately figure out what was going on.

"Well, something must have stopped us." Serena pointed out in a matter-of-fact tone, as though that weren't already obvious.

"Yeah, but who or what could've done that? I mean, who would even know we were in trouble quickly enough to intervene in time?" Amber questioned in a skeptical tone, attempting to assess the situation as people all around them started whispering amongst themselves in astonishment… limiting her mental processes as she was forced to try and block the noise out.

"Well, maybe Arceus is watching over us." Serena suggested in a hopeful tone, and Amber had to resist the urge to facepalm at her friend's immeasurable naivety. While both girls believed in the existence of mythical and Legendary Pokémon… Amber had a bit of a different opinion on what the seemingly Omnipotent God of their universe got up to in his/her spare time. The Alpha Pokémon didn't seem the type to interfere in the affairs of mortals; hell, if he did so time and again Amber could see it impeding humanity's progress.

"It's not that simple Serena; whatever that creature was it was some kind of legendary… an evil one. I mean, you felt its presence to right; that suffocating atmosphere of utter hopelessness that it enveloped us in? I've never heard of any run-of-the-mill Pokémon being able to do that before; let alone one that would take such disgusting pleasure in distilling that hopelessness in everyone on board and killing those people in the cockpit like it means absolutely nothing. No ordinary Pokémon or human on this Earth should've been able to fight that thing Serena; it was truly a monster." Amber sighed as she attempted to nurse the headache she felt coming on. Her heart was still hammering in her chest at breakneck speeds, and she was still reeling from the sheer adrenaline surging through her entire body as one thing became inescapably clear… she and everyone she loved very nearly lost their lives one day, and it was only by some form of intervention that they were spared.

Serena collapsed in her seat as Amber put a hand over her chest in order to try and slow her erratic breathing… the both of them shedding tears of immense relief and emotional overflow in general. "I thought we were going to die." Serena sobbed, and Amber could only nod in agreement as her own eyes leaked tears; the both of them reverting to the seven-year-old girls they truly were, girls who barely escaped with their lives from dying in a jumbo jet accident that was no accident.

"Are you three alright back there?" Grace asked them, evidently only managing to stay strong for their sake as Amber's parents looked back towards them with concern etched on their features. Evidently, they put their children's wellbeing before their own even in situations such as this.

"We're fine Grace… but it's just me and Serena right now; Thomas disappeared at some point during the excitement." Amber informed her as Serena rounded on her with a surprised expression and looked to their right. Sure enough, Thomas was indeed somehow gone… but how could that be?

"Wait… what?! How could just be gone?!" Serena exclaimed questioningly, looking from her mother to Amber; the former of whom looked at a loss to say anything anymore. Amber's parents didn't look like they were faring much better, and Amber's eyes narrowed in a look of suspicion that looked very out of place on a child as young as her.

"I don't know Rena, but I intend to find out."

XXXXX

Timbias grew a smile as he held the 700-passenger-capacity jumbo jet in midair by the nose, and with just one hand. He was currently levitating above the ocean via the use of his Psychic-type move Extrasensory… a move that allowed him to indirectly achieve feats of omni-kinetic manipulation through overwhelming psychic proficiency. A single Planck Instant later and his and the plane's surroundings changed to match the Airport in Viridian City. Timbias gently and slowly lowered the vertically suspended craft so that it laid down nice and smooth on the alighting platform wheels-first.

He couldn't help the slight lurch the plane gave as it landed on the ground, but knew it would only jerk the passengers forward in their seats the slightest bit. His job of saving as many lives as he could now done, he floated around the nose of the airplane towards the door on the side, and with but a single thought ripped it off its hinges before flying inside to check on everyone.

' _Is everyone alright_?' He asked them all at the same time via telepathy, causing several people to gawk at him unrepentantly and in obvious shock… too stunned to answer him right away. Timbias noticed that the seven-year-old version of Amber Valentino was the only one who recovered her wits enough to gaze at him questioningly.

"A Greninja… a Greninja saved us?" She asked, obviously still in quite a stupor as her voice carried a dazed undertone… but she looked remarkably clear-headed compared to the rest of the passengers.

' _Are you all okay_?' Timbias reiterated. He was determinedly ignoring the calculating, shrewd questioning glance Amber was now directing at him as she realized this Greninja was speaking to them all through the use of telepathy… a rather rare ability if she ever saw one.

"We're fine." One of the adults confirmed as she held her baby in her arms and listened to him coo in what seemed to be relief. Timbias couldn't help but smile in relief as he decided to take a page out of Superman's book.

' _That's great that you're all okay… though I'm hoping this experience hasn't put any of you off flying; statistically speaking, it is still the safest way to travel_.' He replied in earnest with a cheery smile as he proceeded to walk away and ignore the bombardment of questions by everyone on board and floated just outside of the plane to supervise as everyone stepped out onto the stairway that the landing platform workers wheeled out towards them.

He watched silently as one by one the passengers filed off of the plane and descended the staircase; some of them looking at him inquiringly but not saying anything further. Timbias couldn't help but flash Amber and Serena a playful wink as they appeared on the stairway; knowing that they would learn the truth about his Trainer eventually and wanting to increase their suspicion. Amber's eyes narrowed at him, and Serena merely looked confused as their parents fell into line behind them and Timbias watched them make way for the airport terminal.

As the last of them went indoors Timbias's eyes widened when a massive _crack_ of displaced air sounded across the entire Kanto Region like a clap of thunder only many, many times louder and shaking the world all the way to the core. He was extremely alarmed when two familiar figures flew into the fray and one of them slammed into the aircraft below Timbias; effectively crumpling and totaling it beyond any mortal means of repair. He watched in abject horror as his own Trainer got up from the rutted jumbo jet… astounded beyond measure that Thomas hadn't already finished the job and only knowing of a handful of situations that could be keeping him from doing so right away. Unfortunately, none of those situations boded well for them or the rest of Totality… and Timbias made sure to point this out as he met Thomas on the ground while never taking his eyes off the Black Mew that stood awash in a mini storm of red lightning.

"He's using Logic Manipulation, isn't he? I thought you said that was the most dangerous form of Reality-Warping for any non ZOFed ON member to tap into!" Timbias exclaimed in a slight panic, not liking where this situation was headed. Not. One. Bit. Thomas turned to him with a look of grim determination.

"It's dangerous for the ZOFed varieties to use to, my version of O-Sirluko was a ZOF Prodigy but he tapped into it in order to attain ZOF Mastery to try and destroy the entire Triple O, and was consumed by his own power. Unfortunately, my experiences with that monster from my past have made one thing inescapably clear; Omninoir doesn't care Timbias. He's tapping into the Chaotic Aspect of the ZOF; the one aspect that isn't suppressed by the barrier. If we don't stop him now, he'll become as mighty as the ZOF Masters themselves, and by that point even the two of us combined will be powerless to stop him."

"Holy Arceus… if we stayed on that plane any longer…" Serena broke off, unable to finish her too-terrifying-to-think-about statement as she, Amber, their parents, and many of the other passengers watched the airfield brawl through the massive windows on the back end of the terminal. Bags of luggage were tucked safely at each person's feet, but the vast majority of attention was on the fighting outside. Members of staff on hand and passengers from on board the jumbo jet alike watched in wonder as the Greninja that saved them and a very obviously human Trainer fought side by side against a creature of nightmare.

"Um… how is he doing that?" The honey blonde girl added questioningly, looking to her right at Amber who didn't answer and continued to watch the ensuing struggle with an unreadable expression on her otherwise childlike face. Serena gave up trying to get her best friend to respond upon recognizing that look; knowing it wouldn't do her any good right now as Amber was lost in her own limitless thoughts.

A good many people stumbled and fell as the building shook… and the two girls watched in stunned silence as the Greninja was enveloped in an iridescent lightning storm much like that of his Trainer's… before the lightning storm transformed him into something else entirely. Thrums of power reverberated back and forth from the Greninja towards the airstrip in every direction; the entire world awash in his unfathomable power as Amber could've sworn she heard the subtle sounding of an electric guitar theme of epic proportions. A giant Water Shuriken grew out of his back, and frubbles appeared around neck and his waistline like a scarf and a belt… likely permitting the use of an unending supply of infinitely sticky adhesive to fire at the enemy if what Amber understood about fully trained Pokémon was accurate regarding this particular member of the Froakie line.

The Greninja and his Master rushed the black Mew faster than anyone could follow; a seemingly endless trail of multicolored lightning streaking behind them as their bodies, their very cells seemed to ionize with an unknown type of electricity. The demonic black Mew responded in kind and Amber's eyes widened as a dark cloud of evil thoughts materialized above its head as the unmistakable sign of a sharp stat boost covered its body in a red down.

"Uh… did that thing just use Nasty Plot?" Serena queried, remembering all the times that Amber drilled it in her head that fully trained Pokémon were maxed out in terms of their abilities and couldn't possibly get any stronger or improve any further. It was a rather annoying attribute in all honesty… being unable to factor in things like base power levels, the same type attack bonus, and even make use of stat boosters; even abilities that affected these things were equally useless at level infinity which limited one's options on the battlefield.

"I don't know." Amber admitted under her breath, her gaze attempting to follow the colliding entities as they blitzed around at blinding velocities and collided countless times over… each collision causing another earth-shattering quake to reverberate across all of Kanto. Everyone knew that such destruction was possible in any battle between two fully trained Pokémon; they also knew that in such battles there were usually measures taken to preserve the world and render it unyielding to the strength of the combatants.

This was their reality now for many centuries, but that didn't make it any less terrifying when the fight was unsanctioned, and frankly living in such a world took a certain kind of tenacity no matter how used you were to it. What most people wouldn't have bothered to notice was that this was no ordinary fight between level infinity Pokémon, and not just because there was a human Trainer fighting by his Pokémon's side with powers to match- believe it or not that was actually more common than people knew- no it was the fact that Black Mew somehow used Nasty Plot that freaked Amber out something fierce.

"Do you think they can win?" Serena asked in a hopeful tone, and Amber wanted to tell her that it would all be okay in the end, but she would never give her best friend false hope or make promises she wasn't absolutely certain she could keep. Deciding to stick to the truth, Amber replied.

"I don't know."

The fabric of the world around them became distorted and enveloped in a seemingly endless lightning storm… a vortex of ZOF Energy swirling around Thomas Infinity and Timbias as the two of them flanked Omninoir. Every time Omninoir turned to attack Thomas, Timbias would dart in at blinding speed and with all the skill of a Ninja to deliver a maximally overcharged Shadow Sneak attack.

Every time the Ungodly black Mew would shift his attention to Timbias; Thomas would be back in with an infinite mass punch laced with ZOF Energy, or he would fire Omni-stat-dropping attacks of his own design to try and Nerf the Anti-God's ever-increasing energy. Thus began a frenzied dance that ranged across the entire landing field and beyond; the shock waves from their attacks dispersing the clouds in the skies above them and causing the treetops to bend back and forth all the way on the other side of the world.

' _Try to envelop your stat reducing moves in the power of the ZOF Timbias… the combination of the two elements should create a dampening effect on his ZOF power-levels_.' Thomas suggested to his starter telepathically; somehow managing to do so while executing a triple back flip to dodge Omninoir's follow-up attack that looked like the Shadow Fire attack used by the Shadow Moltres in Pokémon XD. His series of hand-standing back flips concluded in a massive super leap that carried him hundreds of feet into the air… at which point he fired more attacks and rained hell down on his and Timbias's opponent.

A ZOF-charged Fiendfyre construct in the form of a colossal serpent erupted from Thomas's outstretched arms in midair and hissed in a series of fiery crackles as it bore down on Omninoir. Acting very much sentient, it reared its sequoia-sized head and neck backwards before striking at the demonic cat with its fangs white-hot and its mouth open wide enough to swallow the entire jumbo jet whole. Omninoir disappeared in a loud crack of Omega Omnisphere displacement, only to grit his teeth when the snake somehow followed his trajectory and continued to chase him down. Somehow, its flames managed not to consume everything they touched, and only seemed to direct its heat at him alone.

As he came out of yet another attempt to teleport to safety, and prepared to counterattack with something equally as infinitely destructive he was surprise-attacked by Timbias. The Greninja had launched a massive disc of pure, multicolored ZOF-Energy overhead at him. His eyes widened as the two-pronged attack came at him from opposite directions… and concentrated all of his new power in a barrier comprised of the same pure energy as the disc… though his was distinctly redder in comparison.

The barrier held… but only just, and Omninoir grit his teeth as every fiber of his being strained against the relentless assault. He was not expecting for such an immediate follow-up attack however, and was struck by a full-powered Omni Force attack executed by that cursed Greninja. True to the devastating power of Mega Giratina's signature Ghost-type attack; Omni Force held the power to effortlessly bypass any and all means of shielding as well as any type resistances, much like its lesser brethren Shadow Force but on a far larger scale and much greater depth and magnitude.

The Anti-God Pokémon screamed in absolute agony as the attack struck home… and was blown back by the force of it so hard that his body somehow cratered even the currently impervious ground. He groaned in pain and knew he had to force his body to move lest his adversaries finish him… but he could already feel his power waning.

Thomas and Timbias Infinity stared their enemy down, their identical looks of purest loathing and grim determination mirror images of each other. As their synchronicity reached its peak and both combatants prepared to launch their final attack to finish this fight… there was a song the sounded in response to their epic montage. To anyone who heard it and also watched the Pokémon XY and XYZ Anime series; they would know exactly what song it was… well, an English cover of it anyways. The Ash Greninja theme broadcasted itself in the background as a symphony composed of the strumming of an electric guitar, and lyrics that depicted a duo of unparalleled might and tenacity; in simpler terms, it was a song befitting this particular Trainer and Battle Bond Greninja duo as much as it did Ash and his own Kalos water starter.

Closing their eyes as one and concentrating as a unit; Timbias and his Trainer began siphoning the chaotic ZOF-Energy from their downed adversary faster than Omninoir could restore it. The excess energy was immediately fed into the ZOF Barrier as Thomas resisted the urge to tap it… knowing the power was much more trouble than it was worth. As the last of Omninoir's buffed omnipotence was absorbed from his body… Thomas snapped his fingers and the Anti-God immediately fell under some sort of trance.

"You will forget this battle ever happened, as well as the circumstances that lead you to tapping the Chaotic ZOF; you will no longer desire the death of all those people on board the Kalos-to-Kanto airline, nor will you remember your initial desire to kill the passengers in the first place. You will then go crawl into an endlessly dark, abyssal hole- preferably the event horizon of a collapsing pocket Totality- and fall into an unyielding sleep until such a time where this universe demands your pathetic existence once again, at which point you will awaken and carry out your role in this universe's continuity as predetermined by the Omnipotence Nexus and the ZOF.

You will not remember me, or Timbias… or anything that has transpired here today. You will do everything I am telling you, exactly as I am saying and exactly as I desire whether you want to or not. You will follow these orders on such a subconscious or even unconscious level that you won't even realize you are being controlled or made to do anything against your will." Thomas commanded in the Source Dialect; a God tongue that was so old and so powerful it was the truth behind the Word of God concept.

His every word was laced with all of his power as a ZOF Prodigy, making it impossible for Omninoir to disobey or even think to rebel against him in his current state. Thomas didn't let him out of the trance until Omninoir had repeated every last thing he said back to him verbatim along with an Oath made on the ZOF itself to follow his commands without remembering doing so. As of this moment, the Anti-God Pokémon had no free will and with that in mind… Thomas Infinity finally released him from his chance. Timbias watched in wonder as the Anti-God immediately vanished in a portal comprised of the deepest shadows; already in a fathomlessly deep sleep as he eyed his Trainer with a surprised expression.

"You really need to teach me how to do shit like that. I mean, I could hear you talking and I could understand you as though you were speaking Pokespeech or some other language I knew, but I have definitely never heard that dialect before." He whispered in a slightly awed tone as Thomas Infinity chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

"It's not that big of a deal… just an old magic trick." He replied in an evasive tone, and though Timbias arched an eyebrow he didn't press his Trainer any further for the moment.

"So… does this mean we won?" He asked for clarification, and TI smiled before nodding.

"Yes, I do believe it does, but Omninoir will be back Timbias. As much as it pains me to admit this; history demands that monster's presence at the moment. The most we can do at this point is stalling him; anything more than that would be too much too soon." He answered his starter, and Timbias nodded understandingly.

"Well, it looks like somebody is happy that Omninoir is gone." The Greninja said with a smirk, indicating the building behind them as both he and Thomas saw the passengers from on board the plane cheering from behind the safety of the infinitely shatterproof glass windows. Chuckling at his Pokémon's remark; Thomas Infinity grew a manic grin as he drunk in the praise, the ecstasy, and sheer relief he felt emanating from these people. Being able to give hope to other people always put a smile on his face, and just doing so was its own reward. However, if at any point somebody wanted to thank him, well… he wasn't about to decline them. It was nice to receive credit, praise, and even rewards for his hard work, but that wasn't why he did what he did, and he certainly wouldn't refuse to help them were they not to reward him.

"Come on Timbias; let's go home. I've moved the Pennington House over to Pallet Town and modified everybody's memories to make them think it was built over a period of hours like with the many Pokémon-run construction crews and didn't just randomly appear from out of thin air. I'm feeling in the mood for some fish fingers and custard for tonight's entrée." TI suggested with a gleeful tone at the thought of chowing down on a most delicious meal. Timbias shook his head in amused exasperation and followed after his Trainer as the two of them vanished via Omni-Omniversal displacement.

Pallet Town had fallen intensely silent save for the now subsided panic of a certain individual. Six-year-old Ash Ketchum had somehow sensed the danger to the Yvonne and Valentino families before it had been reported; a deep foreboding feeling overtaking him while he had been in the middle of making dinner and causing him to drop the jug of Enigma Berry juice he had filled to the floor. Before Delia could ask what was wrong he had gone into the living room to tune into the Kanto news network, and felt his heart fill with relief when they reported the ' _terrorist attack_ ' being foiled and only a few casualties being listed; none of which consisted of his soon-to-be friends or their respective families.

He felt bad for the Pokémon and people who had died on that plane, but he would've been devastated had Serena and Amber died. He was surprised by how much he felt for them despite the fact that they hadn't even met yet, or how concerned he was when he saw the titanic clash between those three warring Entities being chronicled by one of the braver people in the terminal who had a Holo Caster transceiver recording the whole thing.

The fact that he then shared that video with the news people who arrived at the scene afterwards meant it would be on every channel in every device capable of streaming videos throughout the entire Kanto Region; IE TVs, X-Transceivers, Holo Casters, Pokegears, and the like. The legendary Black Mew captured on video would be a news story for the ages. Hell, Ash wouldn't have been entirely surprised if this made it to the worldwide news or something; for this was the first time in recent history that someone had actually caught the long theorized Omega Pokémon on any sort of recording device. Ash felt sick to his stomach with terror upon learning that this monster of myth actually existed, and secretly wondered what he would be able to do against something like that? Even with all of his powers- which he was barely beginning to scratch the surface of- he didn't like his chances of going up against it.

What really freaked him out though was the realization that something about the Black Mew felt horrifyingly familiar to him, but for some reason he just couldn't place it. All he or anyone else knew that moment was this was no ordinary terrorist attack. Like so many doomsday theorists, he had heard whispers of the legendary Black Mew. Such things were chalked up as the stuff of nightmares and Ragnarok, but he never really believed them until now… and clearly neither did anyone else. The crackling red lightning storm that danced around it along with the reds of its eyes was enough to strike fear into any sane creature's heart. Yet, that Man of Infinities and his Greninja stared him down with a total absence of fear, and Ash had to wonder what sort of person could be insane or fearless enough to not want to cower when faced with a creature like that.

This creature was as close to a doomsday monster as their world was capable of producing and Ash couldn't believe that the mysterious figure and their Greninja alone had been enough to stop it. He had the strangest premonition that their world had just dodged a massive bullet, that saving Serena and Amber's lives may have just saved the future of their world… but that was crazy, wasn't it? If it was though, then why did he feel this way?

" _And there you have it folks; the first ever video recording of the legendary Black Mew of death for all to see. Is this a sign of planetary and universal collapse impending… or do we have ourselves a savior, an unsung hero who will fight to defend us until the very end? Tune in next time people, and pray that these people's lives will stay saved for the remainder of their days_." The news lady spoke directly at the camera and seemingly to her viewers as Ash gulped. This was going to cause all sorts of planet-wide panic, yet it would also inspire hope in everyone that someone up there in the heavens with Godlike powers was also looking out for them and their world.

Still, why did Ash continue feeling like this was a double-edged sword, and why did he have the distinct feeling that their world was better off without the kind of help that Man of Infinities offered them? Nothing about this situation made any sort of logical sense, and he hated that with a shockingly burning passion.

"Well… I guess I'm just glad that Serena, Amber, and their families are okay, but still… those poor Pokémon and people." Delia whispered sadly as she and Ash decided to turn the TV off at around the same time. This would put a damper in Ash's spirits but he would anxiously await the arrival of two new friends nevertheless, assuming these two girls actually wanted anything to do with him. The Yvonne and Ketchum families had been best friends in the last generation and some things had the power to transcend generations, but Ash wasn't sure about Serena or Amber.

He knew he had felt a strange, unexplainable connection to them ever since he'd first heard their names at age 2, but he couldn't explain it and he'd only ever seen them the select few times he'd joined his mother for a video chat with Grace and idly noticed Amber and Serena playing with each other in the background. None of them ever really had a reason to try all that hard to be each other's friends before, and despite their parents being friends none of them ever seemed to push it and seemed content for anything that happened to happen completely on its own. Still, Ash would be lying if he said he wasn't curious.

He also wondered if maybe he should've asked to talk to Serena or Amber on the video phone before, but had never had any interest in childish fun back then; so he left them to their devices whenever he saw them playing in the background of the video chat. He regretted all the opportunities he never took to meet and get to know new people, all the chances he didn't take, but then he realized how stupid that was considering he was only 6-years-old and too young to have regrets that deep.

He had his whole life ahead of him and ample opportunity to get to know these two in the coming days; still, today had been way too close a call for his comfort. If it hadn't have been for that strange man, he would've had more dead people to mourn, just like… someone. He didn't know who else he had lost per say, though his mother periodically asked if he remembered his imaginary Mew friend or that cute little Rattata he used to bring home with him from the forests adjacent to Pallet town. The fact that he couldn't remember either of them lead to one inescapable conclusion and the thought of it frightened him.

Something had happened to that Rattata… something horrible and traumatic, and he had somehow repressed his memories of both it and the blue Mew he once imagined at 4-years of age. For all of his efforts to try and remember, even using his music based powers to force the memory to resurface didn't work; which should've been impossible because he could do whatever he wanted whenever there was music playing somewhere near enough for him to hear. That begged the question of whether he actually wanted to remember on a subconscious level; perhaps his power of music didn't work for him because deep down inside, he welcomed the forgetfulness of that painful memory.

' _Okay, enough psycho analysis and talk of doomsday scenarios for one day; I need to get this place and myself ready for when Amber and Serena show up. They just went through an ordeal and will want to take it easy for now, so I want to make this place as accommodating as I can_.' Ash resolved in his mind, his resolve strengthening infinity-fold.

"I want to do something… anything I can to make their stay here more relaxing mom. After what they just went through; I want to be there for them, because somehow I think I can relate to the trauma they just experienced." Ash whispered to Delia, who looked at her son with concern and compassion, then nodded with an understanding smile.

"Do whatever makes you feel better about their situation honey, just try not to get too obsessive compulsive like you sometimes do okay?" She requested kindly of him, and he to managed to smile. Today had been a good day with a long and stressful conclusion, but now that the monstrous Black Mew had been driven off for the time being and the world saved for another day… Ash felt like he could finally rest easy and prepare for the arrival of his hopefully soon-to-be friends. His birthday party in a week could wait; right now he wanted to ready himself. Little did he know that the arrival of Serena and Amber would be the moment his life changed forever; even though he was excited to see them he never could've prepared for how much they would touch his life from then on.

XXXXX

After the fiasco with the Black Mew and its attack on their plane, Amber and Serena rode with their families on the bus to Pallet Town, along with everyone else who had been on that plane. The Kanto-Kalos Airline had covered the expenses for everyone's bus fares to try and compensate them for the trauma they endured. Nothing could really make up for what happened though, and while both young girls were still too in shock to really process what happened; this day would mark itself as one of the darkest days in their personal histories… and one which would haunt them for years to come.

A bus leading to every city in the Kanto Region had been provided, depending upon where people wanted to go. Amber and Serena were surprised by how few people took the bus to Pallet Town, her family and Serena's being the only ones there as Amber noticed Thomas wasn't on there with them despite him saying he was moving to Pallet Town as well. While they were clearly relieved to be away from that entire incident; Amber couldn't help wondering certain things regarding that mysterious boy.

Sensing Amber's concern for their new friend, Serena took her hand and held it as reassuringly as she could manage. "He must've teleported to his new home with one of his Pokémon Amber; I'm sure he's fine. I mean, we're alive right?" She cooed, but she was surprised when Amber shook her head and turned to face her with an intense look no child her age should ever be able to properly express, yet she did and Serena gulped at her best friend's shocking maturity for her age. She didn't always show that side of her, especially since she could be such a goofball most of the time, but Amber had a serious side to her that put most adults four-times their age to shame.

"No, it's not that Rena; I'm thinking about how that man who saved us appeared just as Thomas himself up and vanished. It can't be a coincidence." She whispered so quietly that only Serena could hear her.

"You think Thomas and that man are the same person." Serena said knowingly; it wasn't a question. Amber nodded, her face a mask of composure despite the hurricane of thoughts and feelings swirling inside her.

"I don't know for sure, but with the amount of pressure pressing against us on that plane during its nosedive; I doubt a normal, 13-year-old boy could've gotten up and disappeared in a falling aircraft. I may not have proof, but I know it was him; I just can't figure out how he did any of that." She thoughtfully responded after several prolonged moments of silence.

"I'm just glad he was there to help." Serena admitted simply, and Amber nodded in accordance. Still, one thing bothered her somewhat; the odds of him just happening to be in the right place at the right time to help them seemed way too coincidental for her tastes, and with everything he supposed displayed himself to be capable of, was it really that much of a stretch to deduce that he had somehow _known_ what was going to happen before it did? The idea that any mere man could have such foreknowledge made her shudder; no human being should have that kind of power, at least not without the aid of their level infinity Pokémon.

Was he somehow able to make the powers of level infinity Pokémon his own? That was something every Aura Guardian in history would be extremely envious of; for while they could emulate a Pokémon's moves and abilities they couldn't do it on the scale that level infinity Pokémon could, at least not to Amber's knowledge. What did that make their mysterious rescuer then… was he somehow… something more than human? She didn't know the answer, but she was secretly relieved when he didn't stick around to brag about his accomplishments; even if it meant she had to wait a while before questioning him.

Instead, he hid his identity and disappeared with his Pokémon before anyone could think to question him; which seemed to indicate he was trying very hard not to be a glory seeking, arrogant asshole. Still, the auburn-haired girl thought he deserved some sort of reward or thanks, and hoped she would be given the opportunity to do so if what he said about moving to Pallet Town with them was true. Even though her best friend felt that way, Serena could tell that superhero was trying to do the right thing and not be the kind of hero who sucks up all the glory and attention like a sponge.

Any further conversation between the two girls was halted as Grace suddenly piped up and got their attention. "We're almost there girls, so make sure you've got your stuff ready to go; the Machoke Moving Team should've finished moving our stuff into our house by now." She instructed them both as Amber and Serena both nodded excitedly and a little bit of apprehension as well on Serena's part. Truth be told, she was nervous of moving to a new place; even if her best friend was here with her, she was going to miss the other kid her age in town named Calem. He was a good friend of hers as well, and would often join him and Amber in getting up to shenanigans.

Apart from that though, Serena was honestly excited; she'd heard so much about Ash from her mother and hoped he wasn't as imposing or antisocial as Grace described. She really hoped they could be friends, and even though she knew he was making more of an effort to enjoy his childhood she wasn't sure if he would like her all that much. If anything, she had a feeling he would hit it off more with Amber than her. On top of all that, she was worried Amber would find Ash to be more fun to play with than Serena herself had been; given that they were intellectual peers they would likely relate to each other better than Serena would relate to either of them. She hated the idea of being a third wheel or the odd girl out; she only hoped Amber wouldn't forget about her by time she befriended Ash.

Amber was absolutely ecstatic, and felt compassion welling up inside her when she saw Serena tensing up nervously in the seat beside her and took her hand while giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Hey, no matter what happens we'll always be best girlfriends forever; no boy will ever come between us Rena. I will admit I'm excited to meet Ash and I want to be friends with him, but what you and I have can never be replicated alright? There's always going to be a special place in my heart permanently reserved just for you blondie." She cooed soothingly as Serena felt her heart melt with affection for her best friend. Grace and Amber's parents exchanged a fond smile upon hearing Amber's declaration.

Serena was continually amazed by Amber's incredible ability to somehow always know what she was thinking and feeling; the fact that she reassured and alleviated her concerns without even having to hear them aloud just made her love the auburn haired girl all the more. She couldn't hold her emotions in anymore and had to express them somehow; pulling Amber unexpectedly into a hug and with surprising strength that sent the both of them into a series of giggles.

"Thank you for everything Amber." Serena whispered in her ear while twirling a piece of Amber's hair around her index finger and playing with it while the two of them sat there cuddling in each other's loving embrace the whole rest of the ride to Pallet Town. Such was their blissful oblivion that they didn't even realize they were there until the bus slowed down and finally stopped.

"Well, looks like we're here you two; welcome to our new home." Amber's father stated as the girls stood up in their seat and ran off the bus while holding hands so fast that their respective parents were left behind in their proverbial dust.

"Well, I guess we better go and catch up with them." Amber's mother smiled sweetly, while her father grinned cheekily and Grace sighed and shook their head. Something told her those two were going to get along with Ash just fine. The three parents got off the bus and followed their children at a much more reasonable pace, taking in the sights of Pallet Town's rolling hills and fresh, unpolluted air as windmills spun in the distance and a quiet neighborhood with houses that were spaced out from one another greeted the two families welcomingly.

It really was similar and yet so unlike Vaniville Town at the same time that Grace almost did a double take. One thing Pallet Town had was a lot of untainted nature; it was absolutely invigorating just standing here and Grace could see Amber and Serena running up the road in the distance to where a parked moving van was just loading up with a team of muscular fighting-type Pokémon wearing only a pair of underpants. Recognizing their house and the Machoke team getting ready to leave Grace hurried over to check their new place as well as the Valentino's with more childlike wonder than a woman her age would be typically expected to harbor.

XXXXX

"Showered and immaculately clothed with style and dignity, check; hair combed and teeth brushed, check, welcoming feast meticulously prepared for us two and our 5 guests, double check. Entire household and both yards cleaned from top to bottom, check, check, and check." Ash finished crossing off his list of self-assigned chores and preparations with a satisfied sigh of relief as Delia merely watched her son working and cooking up a storm, the concise and detailed list of things to do a balm to his nerves.

It was actually kind of cute how apprehensive he was, and how determined her little boy was to make his new friends feel welcome. Given his perfectionism, she knew he wouldn't have felt confident about meeting both girls and their families unless everything was prepared to his specifications; so she merely stood by and supervised while he did the cooking, cleaning, and everything conceivable to man to get themselves and everything else ready.

She chuckled in a good-natured manner as Ash fell onto the freshly polished leather sofa while heaving a heavy sigh; evidently his indefatigable stamina had been put through the wringer today, and he could rest easy now that everything was ready. "Whew, well, I think that's everything." He said simply, and Delia chuckled again; unable to resist the urge to tease him a bit.

"You think?! You vacuumed and steam-cleaned every carpeted area in the house, dusted every corner and every surface of our house including the space up in the attic, organized every box in the garage, swept and mopped the hardwood floors, did every dish in the house including dishes I didn't even know we owned, caught up all the laundry that was dirty, optimized the photosynthesis in all of our homegrown gardens out back, repainted all of the walls with fresh, quick-drying paint, eliminated every foul odor in the house using the brand-name air freshener, and managed to get your untamable head of hair to actually go flat for once. And that's just off the top of my head Ash; seriously, it always amazes me that you can get so much out of your days like this. I'm sure your new future girlfriends will appreciate the concerted efforts though." She smiled cheekily when Ash's face reddened at the mention of the word girlfriends.

"MOM! I'm not a polygamist!" He protested vehemently, his healthy amount of coloring confirming to Delia that her little Ashy-boy was going to be just fine. She'd been worried about his emotional maturation being stilted, but clearly his chat with Daisy Oak not too long ago had done wonders for him learning to express his real feelings again. When asked about it, Daisy mentioned that positive reinforcement always did wonders for Ash but didn't elaborate further on what sort of positive reinforcement she used; which is something the Ketchum matriarch took to heart. She respected Daisy's results and her innate character enough not to pry; whatever happened between her and Ash was their business, though Delia couldn't deny she was curious.

How an 11-year-old girl was able to succeed where Delia herself had failed was beyond her, but then again Ash had always been close to Daisy; it probably helped that he had a crush on the older girl as well, which meant he would go to almost any length to impress her. It was entirely possible Daisy knew this as well, and capitalized on it for Ash's sake; that Oak gene for intelligence and insight clearly hadn't skipped out on the only female grandchild of Samuel.

"Sure honey, but just the same; you're going to be quite the heartbreaker when you get older, I can just see it now." Delia replied with a smirk; being a mother of such a precocious and unique child could be challenging, but moments like this where he reverted to an embarrassed child were ones she cherished.

"I'm a little young to be thinking about that mom! No matter my intellect, I'm still a prepubescent boy of merely 7; though I can't deny that when puberty hits, dealing with the uncontrollable influx of hormones will be no cakewalk, but I'm confident you've helped raise me into the kind of boy who would ultimately rise above his carnal desires. I have designs much bigger than just getting it on with the members of the female persuasion; not that I'm dismissing the idea of starting a family of my own someday completely out of hand." Ash said with such a straight face and neutral tone that it was Delia's turn to be taken off balance and embarrassed by the bluntness of his statements regarding puberty. Clearly he'd done his homework on the adolescent body and how it all works; it was enough to leave his mother quite flustered, especially when she saw the barest traces of his lips twitching dangerously close to upward. The fact that she'd just been teased back by her son in such an offhanded manner was enough to make her chuckle at the silliness of this situation.

"You're as studious as ever I see; just remember not to rattle off such things when you're with your friends. It's very atypical for a child your age to be so nonchalant about the subject of chasing girls. Most boys and girls your age still believe in cooties you know." Delia reminded him as she plopped down on the couch beside him. He'd barely given her anything to do today, and while they were usually able to agree to split the chores; Delia had made an exception today as shouldering the responsibility of getting everything ready had given Ash a way to work off his excess energy and nervousness. He was one of the most driven young men that she knew; keeping to the most ridiculous schedule and able to function on no more than 4 hours of sleep every 24 hours in a day. How he did that she still had no idea, but it was how he lived his entire life so she didn't question it.

"I know mom, I'm just glad that the Valentino's decided to move to Kanto with the Yvonne's; if even half of what you told me about Amber is true, then I'll finally have a friend who excels overall as much as I do. I can't wait to meet her!" Ash exclaimed, and Delia arched an eyebrow at him.

"And what about Serena; just because she isn't as academically inclined as you two doesn't mean you should be dismissing her so quickly. She and Amber have been best friends for their entire lives and I'd imagine there's a good reason for that. Besides, as smart as you are; you wouldn't be where you are today if you weren't also extremely driven Ash. Remember what I told you about inspiration versus perspiration? I reckon you could learn as much from Serena as you could Amber; if not even more in some areas." Delia lightly admonished him; noticing the way his eyes widened and he looked ready to protest.

"I…" He broke off, realizing he didn't actually have a good excuse. Was he being unfair by hyping up the idea of Amber in his mind while all but neglecting Serena? Come to think of it, if she and Amber managed to stay best friends for so long then Serena must have had something more going for her. Maybe it was like that proverb about judging a Goldeen by its ability to climb a tree; everyone had their contributions, everybody excelled at something. Overlooking Serena merely because of some fantasy on his part to be friends with someone as prodigious and intelligent as he was would not go over well with Amber either; not if both girls were as close as all that. If he was going to be friends with one; he'd have to try and see the special qualities in the other… who knows, maybe he and Serena had more in common than he thought to.

"I'm sorry, I never actually intended to neglect her but I think I was unconsciously." He admitted apologetically as Delia beamed at him with approval.

"All is forgiven Ash; I'm just glad you were able to acknowledge your mistake and correct that oversight before it left both girls with a bad first impression of you." Delia accepted his apology with grace as Ash nodded. He suddenly straightened in his seat as some kind of tugging sensation in his chest seemed to pull him towards something; a gravitational singularity consisting of two people and their respective parents making their way up to the front steps.

"They're here." Was all he said, a split-second before the doorbell rang. Delia's eyes widened at the otherworldly display of super senses before she shook her head in bewilderment and went to answer the door. After everything that's happened since Ash was born; she was pretty much immune to surprise at this point, though there were still endless ways her beautiful little boy could continually astonish and amaze her as well.

She reckoned there was only a certain level of how used she could be to all the strangeness and fantastic wonders Ash Ketchum brought into her life, and she wouldn't have it any other way. She had the distinct feeling these newest residents of Pallet Town and the Kanto Region would bring yet even more excitement into her once dull and boring life, and she thought once again for the millionth time how much gratitude she had for her late husband; he may have been the World Champion but he gave her something much more precious than all that. She hid her smile behind her hand as she opened the door with cheer; biding welcome to the two angelic looking little girls standing on her doorstep, every bit as nervous and apprehensive as Ash had been earlier.

XXXXX

The Hall of Origin was currently in an uproar, and not because the Lake Guardians had opted to use the move itself, but an actual, genuine uproar. After Celebi had appeared with a news update regarding what happened during that whole fiasco with the plane; every single Legendary currently manifesting at their almighty father's higher dimensional plane was equal parts disturbed by Omninoir's attempts to kill the future Omega Omnisphere Champions and relieved that someone had put a stop to his attempted plane crash just in time. Unfortunately, that savior's presence brought with it its own plethora of problems.

"Everybody, calm down!" Arceus finally shouted with a stamping of his right hoof, and just like that the entire Hall of Origin fell silent; Celebi and the others awaiting what their creator had to say. Arceus sighed before he turned to Dialga.

"What does your Omni-Chrono perception tell you? Has this altered our Champions' destinies at all, and if it has; have they been altered for the better?" Arceus asked one of his eldest sons, who shook his head.

"No father, whoever did this knew what they were doing and knew exactly when to step in. Had Omninoir succeeded he would've been the one to forever alter the course of fate in our universe; this other Entity merely put Amber and Serena's personal timelines back on the right track." Dialga informed the Alpha Pokémon diligently as Arceus nodded thoughtfully.

"How he knew exactly where and when to interfere is a mystery father; foreknowledge on that scale is beyond either mine or Dialga's levels. Whoever it is, they have actual knowledge of our Champions' personal timelines and potential futures; something even we can't fully pinpoint." Celebi admitted, and Dialga hesitantly nodded in agreement. Loathe though they both were to admit it; this outside party most likely knew more about their Champions' personal timelines than anyone here in the 9B6 Universe… maybe even more than Arceus himself.

"What worries me is the ridiculous ease with which he stopped Omninoir… even after the Anti-God tapped into his Logic Manipulation." Kyurem inputted, all the while Arceus continued to remain thoughtfully silent.

"What manner of creature is he? The metapotent energy that fuels him also seemed to fuel that Greninja of his." Mesprit cooed in delight; the joy she felt at discovering something new beyond measure.

"He's…" Arceus would've said more had something else not happened that very second to draw all attention away from him and the discussion at hand. A new figure had materialized inside the Hall of Origin with them completely unannounced; a figure that was distinctly humanoid in shape and very much not a Pokémon.

Arceus and all the Legendary Pokémon gawked with slacken jaws as the very Entity they were just discussing stood there for all to see. The God of all Pokémon quickly got over his shock and instantly narrowed his green eyes in absolute distrust. "You dare trespass upon these sacred grounds unannounced?! Identify yourself human, and you may live to see another day!" Arceus roared in pure outrage and primordial fury as a tangible aura of killing intent emanated from him; the other Legendary Pokémon still mostly too shocked to say or do anything, though the ones most loyal to Arceus stood by him unconsciously in a defensive stance.

If the frightful display of power intimidated Thomas Infinity at all; he didn't show it, in fact he retained his ever-present maddening grin, almost as if excited by the prospect of setting Arceus off. "Relax; I come to you all with the noblest of intentions." He assured, though Arceus and the other Pokémon weren't so easily convinced of his sincerity.

"And we're supposed to just believe you I suppose?!" Arceus challenged.

"Yeah, pretty much; it's not like any of you have much choice. You've seen me in action against a Pokémon on your own level Arceus; you know what I can do. If I truly intended anything nefarious for your universe; there is very little any of you could do to stop me. Now, if you're all done trying to intimidate me- you're failing spectacularly at that by the way considering my own Arceus Arion is a ZOF Prodigy member of your species and thus vastly more omnipotent than yourself- can we move on to the part where I explain to you all what I'm doing here and the part where you all accept the necessity of my presence in this world?" The infuriating Entity suggested in a more serious tone than the one he used before, and Arceus shuddered at this person's complete absence of fear in his presence.

Arceus dropped the wave of power and allowed himself the luxury of breathing a sigh of resignation. "Very well, we will hear you out." He relented, opting not to leave his children out of the surely enlightening conversation to come.

"Bear in mind that we only extend you this courtesy because of your actions earlier today; you have my gratitude for stopping Omninoir and saving our future Champions in the process." The Alpha Pokémon added, and to his surprise the Entity beamed at them.

"Believe me, I wish I could've done more than merely temporarily inconvenience Omninoir, but you and I both know that history demands his presence for now, don't we Arceus? I'm on fire, I wake up every morning and I'm on fire; I just can't do enough… it drives me crazy! There's always more I can do but shouldn't, or more I should do but can't; contrary to popular belief, even my omnipotence has its boundless limitations. Believe me, if I could do more I would, but this is the best I can do for now." He responded, his words actually respectable enough to touch Arceus's heart a little as the Alpha Pokémon's resolve to hear him out strengthened quite a lot. Celebi and Mesprit also smiled at the warmth they heard in this person's tone.

"Anyways, since you asked me to identify myself I'll do so right now; I'm Thomas Currie's Infinity Counterpart in this lifetime, but in my first life I was… Appaneesty, well, one of his extra Omega Omnispherical doppelgangers anyways." The now recognized Entity revealed, and every Legendary Pokémon in the entire Hall of Origin fell intensely silent with utter disbelief.

"What?!" Celebi exclaimed questioningly, her sentiments shared by every Legendary Pokémon in the room including Arceus. If they were intimidated by this man's presence before; it was nothing compared to how they felt now.

"So, let me see if I've got this straight; you're saying you're not only the Infinity Counterpart of the most famous author in the UV's collective history- the one who wrote all our stories- but that you were also Appaneesty in a past life?!" Mesprit gaped at him; her mind attempting to process the enormity of this momentous occurrence. Appaneesty was a legend amongst nearly every Entity within the entire Omnipotence Nexus; the level of reverence his fellow almighty beings held for him similar to that of the human's adoration of Jesus Christ.

In fact, Jesus was probably the only aspect of the ON who was better known overall, and only because he was more known by the mortals as a whole. It was said Appaneesty wielded omnipotence on a level and dimensional tier above and beyond the Omega Omnisphere itself, and most all-powerful beings and the beings connected with them either feared or adored him. Some even tried their absolute best to uphold his legacy and everything he stood for, but could never quite reach his level; though some like the UV's own Ash Ketchum Infinity came pretty damn close.

Thomas chuckled, finding their awe and sheer incredulity endearing. "The number of times I've received that reaction upon introducing myself, and it never gets old." He commented airily as Arceus recovered from his initial shock first.

"And what of your reason for gracing our world with your presence; say I believe you, and I'm not saying that I do, but what do you get out of all this by helping us?" The God of Pokémon asked their esteemed guest.

"What I get is the satisfaction of knowing I played a part in Ash 9 by 6's impending destiny, however small. But even if there was nothing for me I would still choose to help him and save the lives of those scared little children because that's what I do; because it's the right thing to do." Thomas Infinity replied in a resolute tone; his jaws and eyes set in a determined expression. Arceus and the other Legendary Pokémon present felt their respect for this Man of Infinities soaring in those moments; it was just like a version of Appaneesty to say something like that. He was pretty much legendary for always doing what was right, decent, or kind by all others; even people who didn't strictly deserve such treatment. A lot of the Omega Omnisphere didn't deserve such a kindhearted soul.

"We… we appreciate the help, maybe more than you know. I'm sorry for my initial hostility; I had to be sure you didn't constitute a threat to us or the Omega Omnisphere Champions of this universe. You honor us with your presence." Arceus greeted the remarkable being standing before him in a much more pleasant tone; something for which Thomas Infinity was grateful for, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm honestly glad we were able to have a discussion like this civilly; I will of course, do nothing to hinder your own interference on behalf of the future Champions' destinies, and will do everything I can to help if ever you should all need it. From this day forth, you and yours can count me as your alley Arceus, but just for the sake of caution; I'd recommend that none of you get into the habit of over-relying on me, as there are many other worlds I am required to nurture apart from this one.

I can't always be there when you guys want me to be, and sometimes even when you might have needed me to be, so you'll have make do without me in those cases. As long as you all understand that; I'm sure our partnership in this endeavor can be mutually beneficial." He replied merrily, and Arceus nodded understandingly.

"Your terms are acceptable, and I only ask that you keep an eye on them as often as you can spare them; will you be dining with us today in the Hall of Origin?" Arceus asked him, curious to know more about this fascinating Entity who couldn't possibly exist and yet did, but to his slight disappointment Thomas shook his head negatively.

"I'm sorry, but I've got my own plans for supper, and my Pokémon and I need to get settled in to Pallet Town; I've since moved the Pennington House of my first life as Appaneesty to our new location, and even after 2000 eternities that old house is still the closest thing to home I've probably ever known in all of my lives past and present.

When and if I ever die some day; I'll probably request to be buried in it, but enough talk of such morbid things for now… I'll be endless eternities dying, way enough time to do and see more than I could ever imagine doing or seeing, even at this point." Thomas explained in a lengthy anecdote, and Arceus nodded; not bothering to question what he meant by 2000 eternities… such an absurd age was something only a Zenith Omnidony such as him would likely ever have a reference frame for.

Celebi and the other Legendary Pokémon all waved him off; some more cheerfully than others as he vanished into thin air via Omega Omnisphere displacement. Dialga turned his massive, draconian head to his father; contemplative looks on both their faces. "So, I guess that's that… with such a powerful Entity in our corner now, our Champions' odds of success just skyrocketed through the roof." Dialga mused, but Arceus shook his head.

"Not necessarily Dialga… you heard him as well; he won't always be around when we need him to be, which means we'll have to fend for ourselves. We can't over-rely on his help; doing so would be extremely selfish on our end as there are probably uncountable worlds beyond our own that need his kind of help as well… possibly even more than ours does. And besides, he's dangerous you guys… even though he's washed his hands of it a thousand times over I can sense the blood of countless innocents staining his legacy.

It would be best if we associated with him only minimally and strictly when our need to do so is most imperative." Arceus replied in a grave tone that none of the other Legendaries missed. Some of them shuddered at that, though Celebi found herself curious; wondering if perhaps Arceus was being too quick to write that man off as something dangerous, but she kept that thought to herself for now. Perhaps she would have the opportunity to get his side of the story while she was keeping an eye on Ash; he was staying in Pallet Town after all under the guise of a 13-year-old Champion-Level Trainer.

There would be ample opportunity to talk, or so she hoped at least. In all her countless years spent traveling through time and to every major period of the Omega Omnisphere's collective history; she'd only ever heard about Appaneesty in the whispers amongst the Totality's most all-important figures within the entire Omnipotence Nexus. It was amazing that he even existed; most would never dare to believe he did or that he was everything he was hyped up to be.

"So, what now?" Kyurem grunted questioningly; a question they all would like answered as Celebi returned her attention back to Arceus in perfect unity with the other members of the Supreme Council of Legendary and Mythical Pokémon.

"Return to your stations and keep an eye on things for now; I will be maintaining vigil from up here and may manifest on Earth in human form. It's been a while since I've been down to Earth for some fun and I fancy myself a trip for old time's sake." Arceus commanded authoritatively as all of his fellow Legends nodded their ascent and disappeared; some of them also likely to pop up in the mortal world in their human forms as well.

After everyone had gone and Arceus was alone, the Alpha Pokémon sighed as he remembered another problem he had to deal with. "Show me the status of Mew." He instructed his Hall of Origins in a soft tone of voice, and due to the nature of his home a mirage shifted in a bubble of air in front of him; creating the image of a distinctly different set of surroundings that contrasted and superimposed themselves over top of the endless expanse of space his home provided.

The image of a young human female with hair the same shade of black as a certain raven-haired boy's and with blue and pink highlights sat on the rolling hills that marked the outskirts of Pallet Town. This girl was armed with the deepest pair of forget-me-not eyes ever seen, and there was a deep pang of sadness and regret about her demeanor as she kept one eye on a particular house in the distance at all times; always close to her former charge and yet so far.

For all her proclamations that he was better off without her; it seemed she wasn't able to let go of the young boy who had stolen her heart. Arceus sighed sadly, as any parent who had to watch their grown kids go through the hardships that came with age and maturity; he wanted to help her out, but something told him not to interfere… a higher calling of sorts if a being as omnipotent as he was could even have such a thing.

Aside from her still blaming herself even after three-years; she appeared to be taking reasonably good care of herself, and had even paid attention to the details of her human form given how immaculately her hair was cared for and everything. If she had truly stopped caring about everything else; she wouldn't have used her powers to arrange her hair every morning. In fact, if Arceus didn't see her as his own precious daughter he would honestly say she looked beyond attractive in this form; hell, she _was_ attractive period, even to him.

He only hoped that she would one day be able to come to grips with what happened and forgive herself enough to meet up with Ash; because as much as Arceus tried to deny it, he knew her fate was tied to Ash's from the moment she met him. No matter what happened, he just wanted his eldest daughter to be happy, and if it was with his primary chosen Champion one day then so be it. He only hoped their budding EST Bond didn't subtract from the soul bond Arceus had arranged for the other two, female champions; if the three of them were to work together properly someday, then they needed to be as tightly knitted to one another as Arceus could manage.

That being said, the consequences of interfering with a soul bond blessed by the EST were extraordinarily substantial; however unintentional or minor the offense in question, and Arceus knew that he would have to accept the consequences for his manipulations when and as they came. He could only sigh in relief that Thomas Infinity hadn't brought his manipulations out into the open, but dreaded having to explain to a distraught Mew his reasoning for attempting to subvert or delay her soul bond with Ash; however honorable his intentions were, he knew she wouldn't be so forgiving when that time came.

He cut off the air bubble showing Mew's broken visage with a swipe of his hoof; deciding to put that conversation to the back of his mind and focus on the present. Things were in motion that could not be undone, and unexpected elements had come into play that even Arceus could never have anticipated; he only hoped that when everything inevitably hit the fan that there would be something remaining of the world he worked so hard to build after the dust settled.

XXXXX

Ash once read somewhere that first encounters could be a delicate thing, and as he sat in the living room with two equally awkward girls about his age he couldn't help deliberating everything that had happened to lead them all to this exact moment. Serena and Amber had just gone through a horrible ordeal involving a plane crash that should've taken their lives but didn't. And Ash himself came to the realization that for all his planning and pre-meditation, all his preparations and almighty lexicon; words suddenly failed him without warning when it came time to actually meet-and-greet with the new neighbors.

Their parents had gone into one of the other rooms to talk and catch up; leaving the three kids to awkwardly stumble into the living room and take a seat on opposite sides of said room from each other. Amber and Serena sat close to one another on the loveseat- a trait of their long-lasting friendship of the besties variety no doubt- and Ash took the far right of the couch across the coffee table from where they sat, while the seconds ticked by without a word spoken between them.

Refusing to be the one to break the silence; Ash let his mind and his eyes wander as he observed both girls up close for the first time in living memory. He realized he should've been more welcoming of his guests, surely his mother had taught him better than that, but for the first time in living memory he was completely tongue-tied just at the sight of these girls, no… these angels sitting across from him. That was the main issue in and of itself; because even though he was only 7-years-old come his birthday next week, Ash was shockingly mentally and even emotionally mature in some respects, enough to realize that both Serena and Amber were very, very pretty for seven-year-old girls anyways.

Another thing he immediately realized was they were both going to be absolutely ball-dropping when they got to be just a few years older than they were now, not that such primitive things consumed him; he could acknowledge they were cute though, and it was indeed interfering with his brain's ability to force words out of his mouth. ' _Come on, say something you simple-minded primitive; you're better than this… you're not going to let the fact that these two are quite possibly the cutest girls your age you've ever seen revert you to a childlike state of puppy-love-struck infatuation_.' He reprimanded himself mentally; able to think of all manner of things to say aloud but unable to get those words past the block between his infinitely cognizant super-brain and equally well-spoken mouth, which had chosen a very inconvenient time to abandon him. Add to that the simple fact he couldn't think of anything to say regarding their recent terror on the plane; how they were still willing to visit him after experiencing an ordeal like that was beyond him.

"Um… hi, it's nice to finally meet you guys; I've heard so much from my mom." He finally managed to choke out; sweat dropping at how fractured and high-pitched his voice sounded, pretty certain it had nothing to do with his voice cracking prematurely and well before puberty hit… he wasn't that far ahead of the curb. In fact, his actual physical development was no faster than the other kids his age; something he was secretly grateful for as it would be incredibly awkward being able to masturbate to the mental image of 11-year-old Daisy Oak when he himself was only 7. That came later… hopefully significantly later; though he was looking forward to the full on Kalosian kiss she promised him when he turned 13.

Serena and Amber both looked amazed and relieved that he managed to finally say something, and the latter grew more confident now that he'd given her something to work with; an infinite number of opening remarks passing through her head but paralyzing her with indecision as she was unable to choose which one worked the best for her. "I'm sure you have." She quipped with a delicately arched eyebrow; wheezing slightly when Serena elbowed her in the rib.

"Behave Amber; we're guests in his house right now." The blonde-haired girl scolded her friend. Serena was still in shock over her near-death experience; it hadn't quite hit her yet that she and Amber damn near died, and should've been dead by all accounts, but she was coping reasonably well, enough to visit their new neighbor and hopefully friend anyways. Ash noted the straw hat she wore as well the pink sundress; having already singled her out as the quiet one compared to Amber, so he was surprised by the boldness of her statement and her action just now.

"Sorry, sorry… but I am curious; what exactly did your mother say about us I wonder? Good things I'm hoping…" Amber chuckled in what could've been mistaken as merely a teasing tone; though someone who knew Amber as long and as well as Serena could tell she was just the tiniest bit self-conscious as well; wanting to know if Ash thought highly of them from what he heard. She was also avoiding the topic of the plane crash like the plague; determined to return to some semblance of normalcy in her life and not take the life she had been given for granted. If Ash picked up on this subtle nuance in Amber's tone; he didn't choose to point it out or make it obvious he knew.

Neither one of them was surprised by this; based on what Grace told them… Delia mentioned that for all of Ash's book smarts and factual knowledge, he wasn't the best at reading people which is something both she and Amber had him beat at, if what they were seeing right now was any indicator. It made his presence less intimidating to them in all honesty; Amber because of the fact that she had him beat in at least one area and Serena because of the simple fact that he wasn't some precocious, infallible God and could make mistakes or misread situations just the same as her or anyone else. It made him feel more real and more human in her eyes.

"Actually, yeah… why, did you think she said something nasty about you two?" Ash asked her in a confused tone; evidently genuinely perplexed about why they would think that as Amber shook her head.

"No, no, I was merely jesting is all." She responded with a reassuring smile; her and Serena both opting not to enlighten Ash on what they'd both been worrying about before and just enjoy the moment for now.

"Ah, I see… I've not set much store by humor myself though I have paid a visit to the library up in Viridian City and seen a couple of Pokémon joke books when I got bored. I suppose some of them could potentially qualify as reasonably clever humor; though I'm not really the best person to judge that sort of thing as I don't really get much amusement out of the experience myself." Ash commented in a neutral tone of voice, and there was no doubt in either girl's mind that she was telling the truth as the pair of theme exchanged a surprised look.

"You don't have a sense of humor?!" Amber exclaimed questioningly with surprised disbelief, and Ash shrugged nonchalantly; a gesture that looked extraordinarily out of place on such a young boy. Suddenly, all traces of her recent nightmarish experience was gone, and Amber couldn't stop the amused chuckle from escaping her lips.

"No, I guess I don't." Was all he said, and Amber grinned at the unspoken challenge in his tone.

"Well, we're gonna have to fix that up right quick I reckon." She giggled in a faux-sinister tone; trying to look like she was planning something nefarious as Serena merely facepalmed. That situation would only bring her disaster as she would likewise be dragged into Amber's various plots to get Ash to crack a smile.

Ash merely looked confused as to what was happening, and Serena caught his eye while mouthing the words ' _don't ask_.' He nodded almost imperceptibly as the conversation steered itself elsewhere for now.

"So, what do you like to do?" Serena decided to ask Ash a question of her own.

"I like to do just about anything and everything involving the outdoors and Pokémon; be it training and exercise, hiking in the woods, playing with the indigenous wild Pokémon to engage the fledgling Pidgy's, and even just sparring with some of the trained Pokémon at Professor Oak's lab to further increase my personal training as a mixed martial artist.

Oak has a few Machamp and other fighting-types milling about the lab so I'm able to learn all sorts of different fighting styles. I also just like to be a kid every once in a while and act my age with some of my friends; my mom says it is conducive to a healthy environment, and while I do have fun doing it I'm not so sure it's as all-important as she thinks it is." Ash replied lengthily, and before Serena could express her awe at the sheer number of activities he got up to Amber interjected with her own opinion; something Ash said triggering her somewhat.

"Nonsense, I'm just as smart as you are and even I can see the merits involved with interacting and playing with kids our age. Engaging in play is important for developing one's creativity and even their own brain itself; just getting out there and having fun, following your passion, and being enthusiastic… that's what life is about isn't it?

It's what it all boils down to in the end. Serena and I almost lost our lives today, and despite everything that's happened I'm going to make sure I don't take a single millisecond of the time I have left for granted. That's why we came to visit you today despite our parents wanting nothing more than to retreat inside our new homes and sleep the day away. Besides, cold, hard, computing logic will only get you so far; imagination will carry you across boundaryless distances. That's why I'll never feel the same way you do with regards to that; because I will always believe that playing and having fun with your friends is the essence of living the good life, but hey… if you're happy just reading books, sparring with Pokémon, and only playing with the other kids when you're not doing anything else then that's your prerogative.

Just don't sit there and act like your version of living is one hundred percent correct or the optimum and only way to live; because that'll just make you sound like an arrogant asshat with no regards for anyone's opinions or lifestyles but your own." Amber rebutted knowledgeably, and with precociousness to match Ash's own. This was something that vexed him slightly, and thus sparked an unspoken rivalry between the two child prodigies that day.

"I… I never said I didn't have fun playing with them; only that I don't personally feel it's all there is to being a kid. Granted, maybe I have overlooked its potential merits from a scientific standpoint, but that doesn't mean I don't know how to have fun!" Ash protested vehemently, the first sign of true, childlike emotion he'd shown since Amber and Serena first showed up. Amber grinned to herself in victory; now they were getting somewhere with the seemingly robotic Ash Ketchum, and she was going to milk this opportunity to get him outside of his comfort zones a bit… he'd played right into her hands, and now all she had to do was appeal to his pride.

With how determined he was to prove himself right and her wrong; he overlooked the simple truth that she had been playing him right from the start… enticing him into a situation where he would be forced to have fun and play with the two of them, without even realizing that he was starting to actually have fun in the first place. "Then prove it mister my-ego-is-the-size-of-Mount-Coronet; come play outside with us, and show me you're not just all talk." She challenged with an imperceptible smirk etched on her face.

True to that saying that the dumbest woman was smarter than the smartest man, at least in this case; Ash got a determined glint in his eyes as he got up from the couch upon which he sat… completely unaware of the fact that his new friend had just tricked him into spending the entire evening playing outside with her and Serena like any normal kid. And as the years ticked by them unawares; he continued to be blissfully ignorant of the fact that he'd stopped needing Amber to trick him like that, or that he was going outside to play with his two new friends damn near every day without having to be conned or coerced in any way, shape, or form… completely of his own volition.


	5. Chapter 5: A Birthday to die for

_Disclaimer: I don't own jack motherfucking shit! So don't sue alright?! I haven't got any money so ya'll wouldn't get anything outta it anyways! ;)_

Chapter 5: A Birthday to die for

Over the next few days; childhood best friends Serena Yvonne and Amber Valentino adjusted to life in their new home of Pallet Town as best they could, trying their damndest to keep the nightmares at bay while whiling the hours away getting to know their new neighbors and their new friends. The nightmares were due to an incident that happened recently; a near-death experience suffered at the hands of some horrific ghoul attempting to crash their inter-regional plane. The Kanto-worldly news was still providing coverage of that debacle even several days after the fact, and people were in a panic/uproar. Understandably so. If such a creature could so easily toy with their very lives and damn near crash a plane full of hundreds of passengers in spite of every possible security measure being taken; then what else could be waiting out there, lurking in the shadows and waiting for the opportunity to pounce?

Amber wished she knew more; not only about the monster that attacked them but about the mysterious being who stepped in and saved them just in the nick of time. Her recent suspicions regarding their fellow passenger Thomas were only further bolstered by the fact that the mysterious Champion-level Trainer had, against all odds; made his home in Pallet Town as well, right down the dirt-road street from Ash's own house. She had tried to pick Ash's brain and get his perspective on these matters, but all he'd said was ' _I'm not really sure what to make of any of it. But then again, I wasn't there, remember_?' And so, Amber had reluctantly dropped it. She considered trying to corner Thomas as he came out to check his mail in that strangely outdated, snail-mail postbox of his, but for reasons unknown nobody ever saw him leave his house at any point.

She was brought out of her internal musing by Serena splashing some seawater on her face; resulting in the 6-year-old girl spluttering with shock at her abrupt return to her present reality. "Hey! What'd you do that for?!" Amber harrumphed, pouting adorably as she crossed her arms over her chest and waited for an answer from her honey blonde friend.

"You were zoning out again." Ash said matter-of-factly as Serena nodded in agreement with his words; a Mareepish smile on her face as she continued to play on the shoreline between Pallet Town and Route 21, splashing water about as tiny waves gently lapped at the wet sand of their favourite beach.

"It's so beautiful out here! We never had beaches like this back in Vaniville Town, huh Amber?!" Serena giggled with childish delight. Amber had to agree; it was closing in on summer fast here in Kanto and the weather was just beautiful. It was neither too hot nor too cold here; it was that perfect nexus between Alola's harshest summers and Sinnoh's most bitter-cold winters. It was sunny with nary a cloud in the sky today, and so the three friends had decided to make a beach day of it.

Ash was currently building one of the most hyper-complex, beautifully structured sandcastles Amber had ever seen. When asked where he got the idea for the design and layout of it; Ash merely shrugged and said he'd had a dream about it once. He said it was called the Palace of the Royal Family of Pennington, whatever that meant. Ash didn't understand it either, but the castle itself was like something out of a medieval fairy tale. He was wearing a simple pair of black swim trunks and a green tee-shirt as the pre-summer sun bore down on them all with unrelenting, blazing passion; a fire that threatened to burn all the world in its wake.

Amber was attempting to sun-tan while wearing a two-piece swimsuit that showed her nonexistent figure. Well, not entirely nonexistent; she did have some impressive muscle tone for a girl her age due to all the workouts and time spent honing her physical abilities in preparation for her eventual journey through the Kanto Region.

And finally, Serena was happily sitting on the edge of the shoreline where land met sea while the waves splashed gently up against her legs; earning giggles of childlike excitement from her as she luxuriated in both the sunlight and the refreshing coolness of the Kantonian ocean. She wore a pink one-piece bathing suit with her ever-present straw hat protecting her fair-skin from the worst of the sun's rays. She'd also made sure to apply a bit of 24-hour, everything-proof sunblock earlier that day before racing out here with Amber and Ash. Their parents were not present at the moment, even despite Amber's parents wanting to watch them all like hawks after what happened on the plane.

Delia had managed to convince them that the danger was passed for now and that they'd be fine for a couple of hours. Amber half-suspected they had someone watching them unseen though, just in case. "No, I guess we didn't. Ha, figures! You Pallet Towners get all the cool hangouts." Amber snorted with amusement as Ash quirked an eyebrow at her but didn't say anything; focusing instead on putting the finishing touches on his sandcastle which stood taller than a grown man and wider than a garden shed. It was just big enough for a person to step through into, and Amber herself questioned whether she could've done better.

"Wow, Ash… that looks amazing!" Serena exclaimed excitedly as her sapphire eyes turned into stars at the sight of their mutual male friend's crafted masterpiece.

"Hehe, thanks Serena." Ash rubbed the back of his neck in what could almost be mistaken as a sheepish gesture. Flipping over onto her back and letting the sun hit her front side now; Amber gave an appreciative whistle as she eyeballed Ash's sandcastle with a smirk.

"That's pretty good Ketchum. Dare I ask how many hours you've spent building it?" She idly wondered, also wondering exactly how long they'd been here at this beach just kicking back and relaxing for the day while their parents did Arceus-knew-what.

Ash struck a thinking pose as he looked up at the sun and seemed to do random calculations in his head. "Hmm, based on the position of the sun now as opposed to its position when we got here; I'd say I've been working on this for 2 hours, 35 minutes, and 17 seconds, approximately." He informed her, for some reason feeling the need to give her the precise time down to the exact second as Serena's eyes widened and Amber's eyebrows both rose up on her forehead.

" _THAT'S_ approximate?" She snarked sarcastically, and he nodded.

"Technically, my calculations are rudimentary at best and with a more precise method of quantifying time I could, in theory, give you the exact duration down to the precise nanosecond. But I worked with what I had on hand." He informed her diligently, somehow managing to both miss the sarcastic intonations in her tone and demonstrate ineffable, intellectual capacity at the same time. How someone so smart could be so clueless about the subtle nuances of human speech patterns astounded both Amber and Serena to no end.

"You're so weird!" Serena couldn't help but moan in a clearly frustrated tone; not understanding any of the big words Ash was using and wondering why she was friends with geniuses like him and Amber. At least Amber was… well, Amber. Ash was just straight up annoying with it. It wasn't enough to be smarter than everyone else; he had to rub it in everyone's faces as well with calculations this and rudimentary that. It was vexing and while Serena and Amber both adored their parents and understood the friendship they had with Delia; the honey blonde was at a loss to discern how a rocking mom like the Ketchum matriarch could've given birth to a precocious, insufferable know-it-all like Ash.

Ash shrugged at her words, clearly unaffected by them as Amber snickered and Serena returned to her makeshift splash pad. The rest of the afternoon that day passed by relatively uneventfully.

XXXXXXXXX

It was no secret that Ash Ketchum was turning 7-years-old very, very soon. And while the three children were away at the beach; Delia, Grace, and Amber's parents were busy setting up a party that had been in the works for the past week. Marina, Jimmy, Gary, Leaf, and even Professor Oak and Daisy had all come along to help out as well while Amber and Serena kept Ash more or less distracted. As Delia well knew; pulling the wool over her son's eyes at any time often took a lot of foreplanning and forethought. The only reason she'd managed to pull this off at all was because Ash's birthday was during his annual visit to Oak's summer camp and he fully expected not to be celebrating it this year until after he got back home for the fall; having always been a very logical child and preferring not to miss the camp than spend a single day of it away to celebrate yet another of his birthdays.

His completely disregard for the annual tradition came as a complete shock to Grace and Amber's parents when Delia explained it to them in detail; unable to wrap their heads around it as they'd always gone above and beyond when celebrating both Serena and Amber's birthdays. Delia had always made sure to absolutely overwhelm Ash with food and merrymaking all around each year when he came home from Oak's camp, yet while he clearly appreciated the gesture and the effort she put into it he was just neutral on the matter altogether.

This year however, she was planning on doing things differently; instead planning his party before he went off to summer camp instead of after. It was a bit last minute; especially since it'd only been a couple of days since Amber and Serena moved into town, but Delia had managed to enlist the help of almost all of Ash's friends and the entire Oak family sans the Legendary Trainer Blue himself. Delia would've been astounded if the leading, Golden Elite 4 Member had managed to show up, but he along with Red and the others had all mysteriously disappeared the year Ash was born. Everyone said they were dead but Delia refused to give up hope that they were still out there somewhere. Their disappearance had been what brought Grace and Delia back together after so many years apart, and Amber's family had been more than happy to come along for the ride.

"Tables are all set up Mrs. Ketchum." Leaf said in a sweet and helpful tone; jarring the Ketchum matriarch out of her thought train as Delia smiled and nodded at the young female with an adoring smile.

"Thanks so much Leaf. Could you maybe go help Gary with setting up the decorations? He seems to be… distracted." Delia and Leaf sweatdropped as the youngest Oak child was currently preoccupied with putting a few practical joke items that he'd pinched here and there in with the rest of the decorations. He'd even managed to fill a bucket of soapy water and balance it on the top of the doorframe leading into the Ketchum household by using a stepladder to reach it up there. Delia knew Gary and Ash weren't exactly the best of friends, but she also knew that this was just Gary's way of getting Ash to lighten up and crack a smile every once in a while.

"Where do you want the snacks?" Jimmy and Marina asked her while balancing bowls full of chips and other salty and sweet snacks in their arms. Delia's eyebrows arched at the unmistakable sign of crumbs on each of their lips but didn't say anything. What kid didn't help themselves to whatever snack bowl they could get their hands on at least once?

"Over there on one of the long tables is fine you two. Oh, and… be sure to leave some snacks for the actual party will you?" She cheekily instructed them as both Jimmy and Marina flushed in embarrassment at having been found out. They hurriedly complied with Delia's instructions and moved various snacks and enough food to feed an army of level infinity Snorlax in and out of the house to Delia's colossal, garden-filled backyard.

Grace smiled as she watched Delia put the kids to work and managed to forget the horrors from the other day, if only for a moment. Unlike the children, who were vastly more adaptable at their tender age; the parents of said children were deeply scarred by recent events and often were forced awake in the wee hours of the morning by horrific nightmares. However, neither Grace nor Amber's mother and father were going to let that interfere with Ash's birthday celebrations; however nonchalant he was about the whole prospect of tradition.

They were all engrossed so heavily in their work to set the party up that they didn't hear someone knocking on the front door to Delia's home right away until Marina had gone back inside to finish transferring additional snacks. When she stepped inside and heard the knocking however, the bluenette's eyes widened in surprise and she shot back outside to inform Delia; her young mind wondering if they were expecting anyone else for the party or not.

"Hey, Mrs Ketchum… there's someone at the door." Marina informed Ash's mom diligently while carefully carrying one of several cakes that Delia had baked for her son. Not the main birthday cake of course; Marina would never have been able to forgive herself if she dropped one of Delia's delectable, homemade birthday cakes. But definitely a cake, and by the looks of it; Marina had to guess it was some kind of Razz Berry cheesecake.

"Huh? That's weird. Nobody else was invited here for Ash's birthday party." Delia hummed in thoughtfulness before shrugging and deciding she might as well answer it and see what this person wanted.

Meandering through the backdoor connecting her kitchen with the backyard and through the dining room; Delia walked past the living room through the adjacent hallway and towards the front porch where someone was still knocking. There wasn't a sense of urgency in the knocking, much to Delia's relief; so it likely wasn't news of some emergency, but still… it was strange for anyone in town to pay her a visit at this hour of the day. A part of her hoped that Ash, Serena, and Amber hadn't gotten into some kind of trouble at the beach, but she held that part of her irrational mind in check.

She'd always had a sort of sixth sense where her boy was concerned whenever he was in trouble. It had happened that day when he was 4-years-old, and again the other day when Serena and Amber had almost been killed in a plane crash. But it wasn't right now; so the part of her that was always intuitively aware of Ash's current safety levels was not exhibiting any danger signs, so she could rest somewhat easy knowing her beautiful boy and his new friends were safe for the time being.

She opened the door gently, and was not ashamed to admit she was quite shocked by who awaited her on the doorstep. An unfamiliar, teenaged boy of about 13 or 14 stood with a smile, nay… maddening grin etched on his strangely timeless features. What stuck out to Delia; well, more than the fez he wore on his head, the pink and purple polka dotted bow tie he wore around his neck, or his… was that a rainbow parasol?! Whatever, what stuck out to Delia the most was the breadth of his eyes; kaleidoscopic and omni-hued, possessing a hidden power behind them that she couldn't define.

Upon closer inspection, Delia noted that the rainbow parasol he used as a makeshift walking stick was more than it appeared as well… a strange sort of stone that exuded unnatural warmth and power molded directly below the sharpened, metallic tip, which was almost like a knife blade. Said stone had an equally strange symbol etched on it; a sideways eight of the same blend of colors as the boy's eyes. His skin was gold, almost unnaturally so, and his hair was as black as polished obsidian. And he had to be almost as tall as Delia herself was; way taller than his tender age would've implied. To Delia's surprise, he held a meticulously wrapped gift in his right hand; the other leaning on his parasol as it's bladed tip nearly dug into the cement of her front landing.

"Yes? Can I help you?" Delia finally asked once she got over her initial shock at the strange boy's impromptu appearance.

"Ah, yes, new neighbour; just moved into that house further down the road, and a little Pidgeot told me something or other that a birthday celebration is being had here. Pardon my abrupt intrusion mademoiselle, but I thought it most prudent to invite myself along and provide the birthday boy with a gift of my own. Oh, my name's Thomas by the way, or Tom… but I've also been called the oncoming storm, the cat in the hat who knows a lot, and 'hey you, get out of this Omega Omnisphere!' Though personally, I think that last one is more of an exclamation than a name. Actually, come to think of it; the people of that Totality couldn't seem to get rid of me fast enough. Pity, I rather liked it there." The boy nonsensically ranted, and even for Delia; who had been on the receiving end of every one of Ash's nonsensical rants… this was far too much to process, even for her.

"Um… what?" She said in a stupified tone; too gobsmacked by the boy's entrance and his words to manage anything else as the boy shuffled past her while placing the gift in her hand; taking the time to invite himself to the party unannounced while Delia was engaged with other preoccupations.

"Um… um… um… Hey, wait a minute already!" Delia chased followed him through her own house as he took a moment to appreciate the decor and layout of her family home; making himself right at home without any prior invitation or consent. Once her brain managed to catch up with the situation as best it could; she was just getting ready to give this madman, trespasser, gatecrasher… whatever, a piece of her mind when she saw he'd paused a moment to admire her house.

"Nice place you got here; very clean, very nicely adorned with decor and old family heirlooms. I can practically _feel_ the sense of history this place has tied to it. Granted, it's got nothing on my house but it's… nice. Very… human." He looked nostalgic at the mention of that last part; as though there was a rather large part of him that'd lost any connection he once had to his humanity. Delia's protests of his intrusion into her home stopped dead in her throat before she could give voice to them.

He was a lot like Ash in a way; out of touch with certain aspects and nuances of human behavior, albeit a much crazier, down-the-Lopunny-hole version of Ash, but still in many ways disconnected with the world around him. She was not at all a fan of the way he barged in; even if he was kind enough to bring a present of his own for the occasion, but she could tell that he was either too detached or too far down the aforementioned Loppuny hole to understand the emotional consequences of his actions as readily as normal people did. Plus, he was just a boy; a boy who had just moved into an unfamiliar land… a stranger in a strange land. In that regard, he was a lot like Serena and Amber as well. She couldn't just throw him back out into the street; the nurturing parent in her would never allow it.

"Thank you for that assessment er… you said your name was Thomas right?" She asked for clarification. Somehow, that had gotten lost in translation after everything else he'd said and done so far.

Thomas nodded in affirmation with a smile. "Yes, though I've also been called…" He started once again to reintroduce himself but Delia held up a hand to silence him; cutting him off before he could launch another of those rants.

"Anyways, do your parents know you're here?" Delia couldn't help but ask him. Technically, a teenager his age was old enough to live on his own and be considered a legal adult in today's society, but it was unheard of for a boy his age to have made enough of a living as a Trainer or anything else to be able to afford their own house and live independently of their parents. In fact, most children his age didn't get their shit together until they were about 18 or so, and even then they sometimes struggled financially to make their own way.

Thomas shook his head with a small smirk. "No, it's just me; well, me and my Pokemon." He informed her matter-of-factly. Delia's eyes widened in sheer disbelief at this proclamation.

"You live on your own?!" She questioned him in astonishment.

"Yes, actually, have done for a long time now. I've been kinda knocking about on my own with my Pokemon as company. I haven't really needed anyone else to be perfectly honest; though I do have a few friends here and there, but they're in… well, they're in different timezones I guess you could say." For some reason, he smiled mysteriously as he said this, and Delia didn't know what to make of it.

Delia's heart ached as she heard him confide this. While she was surprised he'd gained enough power and prestige as a Pokemon Trainer to live on his own; having his Pokemon for company day in and day out couldn't have been very healthy for his social skills. Not that there was anything wrong with Pokemon or the interactions they provided, of course, but most humans required some form of human interaction as well. Perhaps his solitude minus the company of his Pokemon had contributed in some way to his disconnectedness, or perhaps they alone had been unable to give him the psychological help he needed.

No matter the case; she would be damned if she turned him away now. She wouldn't try and counsel him on all of his problems, but she didn't think it would kill her to offer him some form of neighborly companionship and a nice home cooked meal. She doubted anyone would mind one extra party guest either; because, as the saying went… the more the merrier. Strange though he may have been; Delia seriously doubted he was criminally insane.

"Well, you're welcome here Tom. Just remember to always knock and get a person's consent before you enter their home, alright? Why don't you come out back with me to where the party is being held and I can introduce you to everyone? If you're lucky, I might be able to set aside some cake and ice cream for you as well." Delia winked cheekily at him as he chuckled and opted to follow her out the back door; the present he brought along for Ash laid absentmindedly on the kitchen counter; forgotten about until well after the party when Delia and Ash would clean up later that evening. By doing this, the Ketchum matriarch would unknowingly set in motion a course of events that would change the lives of the future Omega Omnisphere Champions forever more.

XXX

As Ash, Serena, and Amber continued to enjoy their fun in the sun and the party preparations were in full swing back at the Ketchum residence; a seemingly human female was making her way towards said residence with trepidation in her every step. If one had been able to see her in her current state of undetectability; they might have noticed she was a highly attractive ravenette with cotton candy blue and pink highlights and baby blue eyes as expansive and depthless as the most bottomless ocean worlds across the Omega Omnisphere.

The human guise of the Lady Mew was certainly an attractive one to say the least, yet as she approached the home of the boy who had once stolen her heart at such a tender age she couldn't have been more apprehensive to show her pretty face. However, like every one of his birthdays and Christmases in all the years prior; she would be damned if she didn't bring her gift for this year along to anonymously add to the generous pile of presents unseen, maybe sample a few bites of Delia's cooking, and leave just as quickly as she came without anybody ever knowing she was there. She was like a ghost in the night, and considering she had access to moves like Mega Giratina's Omni Force attack and what not she truly could've been undetectable by any human means if she wanted.

She walked right through the front door to Delia's front porch without opening it; phasing through it instead and through the adjacent walls, counters, and other obstructions in her way to get her present added. Every year she tried to muster up just a little bit more courage to face him; hoping she might one day be able to earn back his love and trust. It still tore her up inside that she had failed him on such a crucial day; still haunted her nightmares and every waking hour as she remembered her negligence as a guardian.

The crushing sense of responsibility had once overwhelmed her and she had shirked her duties because of it; now she'd give almost anything to take the job on once again. A guardian was supposed to guard her charge, no matter what else she may have wanted to do, and she'd forgotten that and allowed Ash to venture out alone and right into Omninoir's clutches. She'd almost lost him that day, and if it hadn't been for Arceus she would have. She wanted nothing more than to fulfill her promise to always be with him, all the days of her life, but for now she felt obligated to prove to herself that she could handle the responsibility; always vigilant, always watching over him from a distance but never revealing herself, not yet at least.

She would in time though; perhaps when he was a little bit older, and ohh… the things she would do for him when that day came. There was so much she thought about, fantasized about regarding him and his upcoming Pokemon Journey; he'd grown so much over the past few years, at least physically. Emotionally, his maturation process was still highly stilted, and Mew knew she was the one to blame for that. In fact, his 4-year-old self reveled in his emotions and the world around him so much that it put his present-day counterpart to complete shame. Thankfully, he had his family, his friends, and two soulmates to help him work through his… emotional constipation?

Mew tried to think of a nice way of putting that, she really did, but Ash's logicality as of late almost made him seem like an unfeeling automaton; with almost no expression of his emotions in any way, shape, or form. She had sweatdropped a number of times, and even cried for him a little inside. She could still feel his 4-year-old self locked inside of him, but it was barricaded behind an almost impregnable fortress of intellectuality and emotional suppressant barriers that she doubted even she could've fully dismantled on her own, at least not in an instant.

' _No one to blame but yourself for that one too_.' She hissed bitterly in pure self-loathing; knowing she'd have to take her lumps for now and make sure he stayed safe. Even now, while she was manifesting at Delia's place to leave her unsigned gift for him; her primary body was over on the beach watching over him, Amber, and Serena frolicking on the surf as a few Water-types like Crabby and Staryu joined the fray and played with them as well. Even emotionally stilted, Ash's inner light was as boundlessly alluring to the Pokemon of the world as ever; he just wasn't as in tune with it all anymore. She hoped she might be able to play a part in fixing that; since she was the one who caused him to become so disconnected in the first place.

Now in the backyard, her Clone Jutsu body maintained it's invisibility while meandering over to one of the many long tables lining the backyard fence, a fair number of presents filled with books and all manners of educational things regarding Pokemon and life in general contained within gift wrapped boxes and gift bags. While she knew the current Ash appreciated an informational hub; her presents tended to consist of items of emotional value and worth, appealing to his inner child as opposed to appealing to his bookworm status.

Besides, buying books was always a risky proposition for the boy; given the rate at which he picked up new ones on a practically daily basis. So, she placed her tiny gift box near the base of the present pile, hidden inconspicuously between a giant encyclopedia on Pokemon migratory patterns and a case full of Ultra Balls that someone had graciously bought for him. Did Lady Mew sneak a peek at all the other presents using her all-seeing eyes? Why yes, yes she did, but she needed to know for certain that she wasn't bringing him something that someone else hadn't already thought of. Thankfully, no one else seemed as inclined to reconnect Ash with his younger child self as she was and were generally more accepting of his three-years-older counterpart. So her gift box was definitely one of a kind, and she made sure to place it not at the top of said pile; figuring that would've come across as presumptuous as hell. Granted, she may have been overthinking the placement of her gift in said pile just a tad.

She idly noted that the gifts that Amber and Serena had gotten for him earlier that day were placed very noticeably at the top; likely the parents' lowkey way of prioritizing their gifts above everyone else's. Mew almost snorted aloud at how everyone seemed so gung ho about shipping Ash with either Serena or Amber when they got older. Hell, some even attempted to pair him off with both; unknowingly falling in step with Arceus's grand scheme regarding their multi-way soul bond via the power of Red String Manipulation. As far as Mew knew; having more than one true Soulmate was supposed to be impossible in any normal Soulmate concept, yet the EST or what have you seemed to be full of strange surprises and exceptions in that regard.

Nevertheless, it wasn't really her place to say anything or her business to involve herself in his currently nonexistent love life. That would come later, hopefully much, much later. For some reason, the notion that Ash was destined by Arceus himself to end up with both Serena and Amber one day caused a pang of some unfamiliar emotion to well up inside the feliniform's chest. She supposed she was just being territorial of him; as catlike Pokemon often were by nature. She'd get over it though; that was for sure. Cuz if she didn't, then there was going to be problems down the road.

She ignored the conversations going on around her and turned to leave; catching the tail end of Serena and Amber's parents exchanging a surprised greeting with some strange man with a… wow, Mew had seen better fashion sense from Arceus in his human form. ' _Does he seriously have a rainbow parasol… on a day like this? Weird_ …' Mew shrugged inwardly; though she was surprised to note that Grace and the Thompson parents knew this man from the recent plane crash. Mew had flown off to help Ash's future soulmates as soon as she'd gotten wind of what was going on; knowing that while they weren't necessarily her responsibility, they automatically defaulted as such in her mind due to their future connection with Ash.

Somehow though, someone had beaten her to it before she even had a chance to run interference at the airport, and what she'd seen during that battle had admittedly left her jaw hanging. Not a lot of things could do that to the normal unflappable Mew, but Zenith Omnidonae were something she'd always believed to be myth; belonging in the hushes and whispers of the highest ON members. Quite frankly, it was an absolute miracle that something like him even existed; he was without a doubt the most unique creature in all of Totality. So, even for a level infinity member of her species; seeing what transpired the other day was going to leave a lasting impression on her.

She was dragged out her reverie when the strange boy glanced sideways at the pile of presents at the same time she was eyeing him surreptitiously, and she froze as their eyes met; trying to get her heart beating again from that momentary terror by reminding herself that she was beyond the senses of all but those of another omnipotent. He was just casting a glance at the presents, that was all. Again and again she attempted to reinforce this notion in her head; tried to coerce her own body, mind, and soul into believing it with all she had, yet the almost knowing glance he had as he seemingly stared right through her stole all the warmth from her blood. If he could see her then…

The moment was gone however as quickly as it came, and the strange, gangly boy was once again focusing his attention on the conversation with Grace, Delia, Ambers parents, and the other Pallet Town children as he introduced himself to them; leaving her to believe he hadn't seen her after all. Deciding that she'd been thoroughly spooked enough for one day; Mew willed her clone body back into her main one and disappeared from the party scene altogether to continue maintaining vigil over Ash and his two companions at the beach. This would mark the third year in a row she had surprised Ash with an anonymous gift; leaving him and his family puzzled as they tried to figure out who his secret present giver was each birthday and Christmas for the past three-years. There was always an extra Santa present unaccounted for each year as well, and Mew already had a good idea in mind on what to get him for this year.

XXX

Back on the beach, Amber and Serena had taken to lying down on the hot sand together while watching Ash build yet another, more impressively sized-version of his original sandcastle; making one that was big enough to house all three of them. At first, the Kantonean boy had been reluctant to take on such a massive project, until he'd been subjected to Serena's patented Lillipup pout at least. And so, like Amber had done so many times before her; Ash immediately bowed to the honey blonde's power, grumbling the whole time about why he'd been volunteered for this as Amber and Serena exchanged a secret smile.

"You think he suspects anything?" Serena whispered, prompting Amber to shrug with airy nonchalance that looked shockingly out of place on a six-year-old child.

"Not sure. If he does he's really good at hiding it and the best con artist in the world." Amber responded idly, and Serena had to agree. While she wasn't prone to boasting of her intelligence; Amber's precocious intuition was beyond anything the honey blonde girl with the straw hat had ever seen before. It damn near bordered on psychic, and was possibly superhuman as well; not that Serena had ever been able to verify that beyond the shadow of a doubt.

Their parents had left them with some very simple instructions… keep Ash distracted for as long as possible. When Amber had remarked on the weather earlier it had been with a purpose, and so their beach day went on for as long as they could manage to keep him busy. Serena had, in a rare moment of brilliance on her part; astutely observed that Ash liked to be kept busy with his hands, and so she had humbly made the request for him to build them all a sandcastle big enough to play in.

A few of the Krabby, Staryu, and Goldeen from earlier had stuck around as well; lending Ash their full support with his endeavor as they applied water to any sand that needed wetting and an impressively sized Kingler made use of his giant claw to cleave holes in the sand for Ash to lay structural foundations and support for his masterpiece. Amber and Serena watched in amazement as boy and Pokemon worked seamlessly and in perfect harmony together to aid Ash in every project he undertook; how he did that without so much as speaking a single word to them baffling both girls beyond belief.

"Does he even realize how rare it is for Pokemon to be this unconditionally supportive of a person's every whim?" Amber remarked cooly while watching the cooperation take place with a smile on her face.

"Nah, I think Pokemon are super dependable." Serena disagreed.

"Well, yeah, but usually only with their own Trainers and families. You don't often find wild Pokemon this willing to undertake such a menial task all for the sake of a single human child. It's uncanny." Amber rebutted as Serena shrugged; deciding not to question it too much and simply enjoy the spectacle.

After watching the 7-year-old Ash work tirelessly for hours on end without breaking a sweat; something struck Amber as odd. "He isn't pausing at all or expressing any signs of fatigue." She stated, prompting Serena to cast her an odd look.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that most people would be at least stopping occasionally to take a drink or a breather, but he's been at it for over two-hours and doesn't even look winded. In fact, if anything he looks like he could keep this up all day and night." She elaborated.

"Weird." Was all Serena said as a response before the wind suddenly picked up and plucked her straw hat right off her head.

"Oh no!" She shouted in a mild panic as she suddenly ran after it; chasing it down as it flew towards the ocean water while unaware of the sudden storm system that had suddenly overcast the entire sky.

Ash and Amber however, did notice it and grew unnerved by it. It was dangerous to be out on the water during a lightning storm, and Serena was right near the drink as she chased her hat out onto the shoreline. "Um, Serena… maybe we should head on home." Ash suggested apprehensively as he made to get up and follow her, before the unthinkable happened.

The honey blonde, who was just picking up her slightly dampened hat and placing it back on her head, failed to notice the bolt of lightning that hurtled down directly towards her head. Amber screamed at her to move, but it fell on deaf ears as something happened that Ash wouldn't be able to explain afterwards. He ran towards her, his heart pounding so hard it felt like suddenly sprouted countless brethren, and the world went deathly still and silent all around him as he made his way towards her as fast as his small legs could carry him. His eyes widened as he _saw_ the lightning bolt. He actually fucking saw it as it began it's maddeningly slow descent towards his new friend's head too fast for the human eye to see.

And he was racing it towards her. He didn't know how, but he was managing to keep pace with a force of nature that could move as fast as a third of the speed of light. And he was beating it in their mad race to see who got to Serena first, albeit only just. He didn't have time to think about it, and managed to push her out of the way and back onto solid land away from the blast. Ash only had time to note that this lightning bolt was colored unlike anything that occurred naturally; onni-hued beyond even the most Chromatic Thunder attacks, and then the whole world turned to static as Serena, Amber, and one other person's screams were lost in a sea of colors and indeterminable power hitherto unprecedented.

XXX

Mew screamed her human self's voice box hoarse as she watched Ash get struck by lightning right in front of her; RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER! And she was POWERLESS! HOW WAS SHE POWERLESS?! She couldn't believe what she just saw; Ash had achieved the seemingly impossible to bear the brunt of a lightning blast nature had intended for Serena, and he'd done it via speeds that should've been impossible for him in his current stage. Arceus did say his true omnipotence would self-manifest as needed if ever he or one of his family or friends was in danger of dying or worse… being utterly annihilated from the Double-O's Omni-Chronal Continuum. Obliterating an all-powerful being was practically unheard of in most cases but the ones involving Zenith Omnidonae legends, but it was still a potentiality Arceus felt the need to try and prepare for just in case. The fact they weren't arrogant enough to believe their invincibility was truly irrevocable was a point in their favor, but it wasn't helping her now as she watched Ash get thrown back by the blast and land right at Serena's feet.

Without thinking, without planning it, without worrying about the fact that she'd be outing herself to them way, way earlier than she intended; Mew made her way over towards them, her heart freezing in her chest as she saw Amber try and resuscitate him, to no avail. He was completely, utterly unresponsive, and she knew that she would be damned if she let him down a second time. SHE WAS NOT LETTING HIM DIE! NOT TODAY!

While sprinting her way towards him uncaring of the lightning storm still happening all around them; her body began to transform itself on a whim, regressing her in age so that she looked no older than 10-years of age. While saving his life took first priority above all else; a part of her thought it would've been strange for her if she had to give a 7-year-old boy mouth-to-mouth as a grown-ass woman. So, she tweaked her appearance and supposed age accordingly; hoping Ash's mother wouldn't wholly disapprove.

Amber was currently kneeling over him while attempting to get his heart going with her hands compressing on his chest; clearly knowing what she was doing even if it wasn't helping. Serena was sobbing in a right state, the poor dear. She was caught between trying to run for help and staying here on the off chance that she could somehow do something. Finally, she seemed to settle on the former, and told Amber to keep trying to revive Ash while she ran and got help. It was at this precise moment that Mew reached them; running past the still clearly shaken Serena as a part of her realized Ash may have just forfeited his own life to save hers. No doubt that would weigh on her conscience forever if Mew didn't manage to help bring him back.

"Ash! Come on! Come on! Wake up you stupid, bloody, noble idiot! Why did you have to go and do that?!" Amber screamed at him in between her attempts to bring him back.

"I saw what happened! Here, let me take over for you." Mew interjected suddenly as she got down on her knees to get a closer look at the boy whom she'd been admiring from afar for the past three years. His face and body was ashen and coated with molten sand that had been slagged into glass by the heat of the lighting, and his untamable head of hair looked even worse than usual as it all stood on end from the residual static discharge oversaturating every cell in his body. Mew's heart squeezed uncomfortably as she cradled his head in her lap, and brought her mouth down to his without hesitation; breathing air into his lungs, willing to die of oxygen deprivation if it meant saving his life today. His life was worth an infinite number of her own in her eyes, and she would gladly give all of them up in order to bring him back.

In her panic-addled state; Amber didn't immediately register the fact that someone had taken a modicum of control over the situation, having barely kept it together long enough to offer Ash whatever meager CPR training she'd taught herself. Now though, she found herself watching the slightly older girl breathe for Ash with a hopeful glance; startled and amazed by the ravenette's seemingly bottomless lung capacity and the fact that she was apparently willing to give him all the oxygen she had at the expense of her own wellbeing. She wasn't an overly religious person by nature, but Amber wouldn't be ashamed to admit she offered prayers to Arceus, Mew, Kyurem, and every other deity she could think of that Ash would make it. She prayed for a miracle with all of her soul; willing to believe in the works of Arceus forever more if only he brought Ash back to them. The notion of him dying on his own seventh birthday was absolutely unthinkable; like something one wrote in a tragedy trope-filled story.

She and Serena didn't know him very well yet, but they'd had fun with him today and would be devastated if he died on her watch. The fact that Ash had willingly thrown his own life away to save her closest friend had seared itself onto Amber's heart forever; not that she realized it at the time of course.

' _Ohh, come on Ash… please! You're stronger than this! I know you are!_ ' Mew telepathically urged him as she continued to alternate between mouth-to-mouth and doing rhythmic compressions on his chest with both hands; her entire being pouring itself into securing his own during those heart-stopping, crucial moments. Mew's eyes popped open when she brought her mouth to his once again, and went boneless with sheer relief when Ash took his first unaided breath and arched his whole body upwards with a sharp gasp.

He sat up in a wild panic, coughing and spluttering violently and thrashing about as Mew held him steady by the arms and got his attention by speaking. "Hey, shh, shh… it's okay, it's okay! You're okay!" She whispered soothingly to him as tears of absolute joy spilled from her and Amber's eyes simultaneously. He was going to be okay… thank Arceus!

His eyes bloodshot from having been clinically dead for a couple of minutes, Ash finally managed to stop coughing long enough to sit up properly and regard Amber and the strange new girl with trepidation. "What happened?!" He rasped, his words painful in his throat as his newly restarted heart and body protested vehemently against such an action.

He was answered by Amber glomping him so hard it almost stopped his still fragile heart once again. "You reckless… IDIOT!" She sobbed uncontrollably while nuzzling in his chest and soaking his shirt with tears; hugging him tighter than his mom had ever done while overcome by her own emotions. Ash awkwardly returned the hug; a part of him enjoying the contact more than he cared to admit.

"Jeez, don't hug me so hard, okay? You're likely to stop my heart again." He wheezed breathlessly as she continued to half-sit, half hold him in a full-body hug while they sat together in the sand.

Turning his attention to the other girl present, his eyes widened when he looked to and fro and noticed that Serena was nowhere to be seen. "She went to get help, probably from your parent or legal guardian." She explained to him as though responding to his thoughts. Ash allowed himself the luxury of a sigh or relief.

"That was way too close for comfort. How long was I out for?" Ash asked no one in particular. Since Amber was too distraught to manage a coherent response right now; the strange, slightly older girl once again responded.

"Only a few minutes. You're very lucky." Mew whispered, trying to keep the sheer adoration she'd long harbored towards him out of her tone. She was a stranger to him in this guise; so displaying more emotion than a passerby who helped resuscitate him should have was probably not the wisest course of action, lest she freak him out.

"Clearly, I have you and Amber to thank as well, um…" Ash paused as he realized he'd never caught this girl's name. Come to think of it, where had she come from anyways? Was she just passing by when the lightning bolt struck him, or was there something more to her visit to these parts?

Mew racked her brain for a sort of alias she could provide him with for now; slight panic setting in as the thought of outing herself entirely wasn't immediately eliminated from the list. She knew she could trust Ash, at least when he was 4-years-old, but she was still one of the most sought after Legendaries in the history of mankind. Surely by now he'd think like a Trainer first and foremost; try to capture her the second he got his license. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of trying to find a suitable alias; she struck gold and offered him a smile that could've put the brightest Dazzling Gleam to shame.

"Myra, call me Myra." She said, introducing herself to him while reaching a hand down for him to shake; which he did, unknowingly setting events in motion that could never have been undone, not even by the will of Arceus himself.

"Ash, Ash Ketchum." He said to her in return, and Myra smiled. She already knew his name of course, but it was nice to hear it directly from the source all the same.

"And yeah, I guess we did help, didn't we?" The now dubbed Myra whispered in agreement with Ash's statement. She did save him, she really did. She wasn't a complete failure as a guardian after all! The thought was so freeing that it instantly undid quite a lot of the guilt that she'd built up over the years. She'd taken the first crucial step to regaining her stripes, er wings as his guardian angel, but there was still a long way to go in her eyes.

"Can you stand?" She asked him once she recovered from her momentary nirvana state.

"Um… no." Ash admitted, unable to even feel his legs fully aside from an all-embracing case of pins and needles throughout his whole body. No doubt he'd possibly suffered some serious nerve damage and was likely paralyzed from the waist down. Thankfully, a full, level infinity Heal Pulse from a well trained Chansey or Blissey would remedy that in an instant, but he'd have to visit a hospital; which was always a pain in the ass in his books.

Myra sighed and rolled her eyes, unable to believe he was able to find annoyance towards hospitals at a time like this. She smiled, however, and moved over to where he was sat crouched with Amber laid overtop of him. "I'll carry you to your house." She said in a matter-of-fact tone, and upon seeing him quirk an eyebrow at her grinned cheekily at him.

"I'm a lot stronger than I look smart-aleck. Miss, um… I hate to try and pry you two kooky kids apart, but if I'm to carry him back to wherever he lives then I'll need you to let go of him for a bit. I may be strong but carrying two people your size is pushing it." Myra lied, knowing that she could carry both of them and more besides. She could lift an infinite solar mass black hole for Arceus's sake! Granted, that was a fairly hefty lift… even for her.

Ash took a moment to observe her features more closely as she bent down and picked him right up off the ground without any apparent effort on her part. She was only a couple of years older than him if that, maybe 9 or 10, but her face was strangely timeless, and objectively the cutest, most beautiful face he'd ever seen. From what he'd read, some girls were cute while others were pretty, but it was rare to find someone who was both. This girl was clearly both, and quite by chance her hair was exactly the same shade of black as his own, but with cotton candy blue and pink highlights to further accentuate her color scheme.

Her eyes were without a doubt the bluest shade of blue he'd ever seen in his life; with a hidden strength lurking behind them that he couldn't exactly pinpoint. She was clad in a pink long-sleeve tee and blue shorts that ended just above her knees. To his slight embarrassment, she'd started moving him in a full bridal carry as she cradled him against her chest like a kitten, and even more awkward was the realization that puberty had started early with this one; as he could feel the… buds of her developing chest brushing gently against his left arm as she held him against her. Seeing the way she smiled as she carted him back to Pallet Town with Amber on their heels; Ash found himself willing to forgo his embarrassment for a while and just enjoy the ride.

XXX

After the newly dubbed Myra, Ash, and Amber disappeared over the hilltops; the sidelines of the beach they left behind and the lightning storm that had sprung up out of nowhere warped and a familiar madman with a grin to match and equally as strange attire appeared where a second ago no person had stood. Casting his sly glance towards the sky, he snapped his fingers, and the ZOF lightning he'd conjured up as a seeded storm cloud disappeared and reentered his body.

With that accomplished, the thunderstorm disappeared as quickly as it came, and no one would suspect anything out of the ordinary would have occurred. Whether it'd be chalked up to a freak case of Drizzle by some wild Peliper or something else mattered very little in the grand scheme of things. Thomas Infinity chuckled and whistled a merry tune while swinging his parasol around in a helicopter-like fashion. "Damn, I wouldn't mind that Myra bitch electrifying my Lightning Rod if you catch my drift." A vulgar, punk-like tone spoke aloud from beside Thomas; belonging to a very distinct Raichu with spiked cuffs, diamond teeth, and none of the fucks to give in the Omega Omnisphere.

"Me neither." Thomas agreed, the Raichu walking alongside him in an upright, bipedal position as opposed to a four-legged crawl. "Talk about being thunderstruck, huh?" He added with a toothy smile as another Pokemon appeared as though conjured by the nothingness itself. This one was a metallic, golden-furred Mew who stood at 4' tall and with arms and legs proportionate to her size and possessing total functionality.

"What I want to know is what the point of this was; because from where I'm standing you just ruined an innocent child's 7th birthday?" Mafalda the Mew intoned in a curious tone; wondering where her Trainer's head was at that he'd pull such a colossally dickish stunt.

For once, Thomas looked completely, uncharacteristically serious as he responded. "Funny story, it was never revealed why and how Myra chose the name that she did; today's events made sure that there was an answer to that question as well as many others the history books will likely never be able to unravel the mysteries of. The Omega Omnisphere is a complex piece of machinery, and our actions here today have helped keep history on course more than ever before. What we've done is ensure Myra dealt with some of the underlying issues she had regarding her guardianship over Ash, and by so doing saved a lot of lives in the future.

Understand Mafalda that every action I take here in the past… directly affects the fate of their future. Upholding the personal timelines of the Double O Pokemon Champions has become something of a bad habit of mine, but they represent a lot of the same legacies that certain Omnidonae in my past lives did, and I can't help trying to lend a hand here and there."

Mafalda didn't look convinced though, and instantly rebutted. "But at what cost Thomas? You're only seeing the bigger picture without really considering the individuals here and now, in the present. You may have averted some future threat by your actions here today, but what about the two girls who are distraught at having almost lost their new friend? What about Myra having to almost lose her future ESIT Soulmate?!" Mafalda's voice grew louder and more shrill with each word she spoke, and Thomas offered her a Mareepish smile.

"Hey, if it's any consolation; Ash was never in any actual danger." He whispered, and Mafalda sighed as she felt a migraine coming on somehow despite her ZOFed omnipotence.

"Even if that's true, _they_ obviously don't know that." She reminded him, and he nodded in acknowledgement of her point.

"I'm aware and I'm fully prepared to accept any chewing out they will one day give me for my meddling." He acquiesced as Mafalda sighed.

"What about the paralysis?" MOchu suddenly interrupted them to voice his inquiry.

Thomas tilted his head. "Oh, that? That'll wear off in less than an hour, and he'll be fully healed and everything too. I commanded the ZOF to simply suspend his bodily functions in time; caught between one heartbeat and the next. His heart didn't actually stop, nor was there any damage at all. But I had to make it look convincing enough to fool Myra's omni senses; so I called upon some ZOF lightning and BAM!" He pumped his fist into the air to accentuate that last word as Mafalda jumped at the sudden increase in volume.

Her eyes narrowed slightly as his exposition caught up to her. "So, just to be clear, he truly wasn't in any danger?" She asked once more for clarification.

"Not even a tiny bit." Thomas reaffirmed, and Mafalda sighed once again; somehow impossibly gaining the aforementioned migraine she could feel coming on earlier.

"We really need to work on getting you through whatever your… issues are. But I suppose you had a good reason." She said in an all-knowing tone. Thomas could be ignorant of the emotional ramifications his actions caused, but he was never malicious, and usually his crazier endeavors turned out to have some big payoff further down the road; even if everyone else was living too in the moment to see it at the time. He drove her bonkers sometimes, but Serena's 9 by Infinity Counterpart was right about one thing. He was always… infinite steps ahead of everyone else.

"I did actually… Myra needed the push; so I engineered a situation that would force her to play the guardian angel despite her hesitancy to approach Ash. She needed to prove to herself that she could rise above her failure, but she also needed proper incentive to get over her hesitation to act. Now she's not only managed to save his bacon, but also inserted herself back into his life, and that was something I knew she always desperately wanted; even if she never admitted it." He elaborated as Mafalda found herself positively slack-jawed by his insight. Despite her prior reservations, she was reminded for what seemed the umpteenth time that there was always a method to her Trainer's madness.

"Thomas, you… really are too clever for your own good." She whispered in a grudgingly admiring tone. He shrugged nonchalantly as MOchu snickered pervertedly in the background.

"I did my job as a Zenith Omnidony; I protected the future timelines of other omnipotent beings no matter the personal cost. It's the burden my kind bears every day; every waking second I can see what is, what was, what could be, what must not. It's the way I see the Omega Omnisphere and by extension the Triple O. Even if a part of them hates me for it; the eventual good of what I did will outweigh the bad. Emotions like what Myra, Amber, and Serena felt when they thought Ash would die will eventually fade. Time heals all wounds, even if some hurts some insurmountable in the heat of the moment. But what we did here today will impact the future of Totality itself forever more, and in a very positive manner." He whispered while lost in 2000-eternities worth of old memories, a wistful, infinitely faraway look in his kaleidoscopic eyes as Mafalda and MOchu alike found themselves awed by his eloquent words.

It was a dirty job, a thankless job a lot of the time full of ingrates who couldn't appreciate what he did, but Thomas accepted his role in the ZOF with a smile. He wouldn't deny it hurt sometimes though, knowing that so many had failed to understand or appreciate what he had to do; the sacrifices he made, the innumerable souls who owed him an unpayable debt, however unaware they were of it. Some had said or done a whole lot worse than say they hated him as well.

"I know it's probably too much to hope the party will still be on, but I for one could go for some cheesecake right about now. Mmm, cheesecake!" Thomas moaned in a perfect imitation of Homer Simpson's voice as he started to drool, making MOchu cackle outright and Mafalda sweatdrop copiously at her Trainer's antics.

"Care for one more unexpected guest?" A voice suddenly interjected from behind them as Thomas spun around on the spot; recognizing that siren song anywhere in the known ZOF as belonging to Serena 9BI herself. Why exactly she was manifesting here in the past when she was supposed to be safeguarding the future of this world was anyone's guess, but it would be remiss of Thomas to complain as he offered her a shy, tentative smile; the kind only this girl had ever been able to distill in him in all his 2000 eternities.

She was clad in her usual midriff-baring outfit, with her unnaturally glowing, goldest gold hair let down in a ponytail at waist length and her quantum blue eyes alight with mischief as she regarded Thomas with an impish smile. Her Master Ball-themed ball cap was facing sideways on top of her head, and she giggled at Thomas's stupefied expression. It was rare for anyone to catch him off guard like this; so she tended to milk such feats for all they were worth.

"Dare I even ask what you're doing here? Is there a problem in the future I don't already know about?" He playfully admonished her. Personal issues regarding his long and infinitely complex history with her aside; he was truly glad she was here. He'd always be forever grateful for her continued presence in his life; no matter how much it secretly tormented him inside, he'd keep those issues locked away for now. It was all in the past anyways, and besides… she didn't even remember who he was; what they once meant to each other 2000-eternities and 726 Omega Omnispheres ago. Why dredge up old skeletons?

Serena giggled teasingly. "No, not all. If anything, your recent actions have had a remarkably profound effect on the timestream. I'm creating a manifestation of myself here in the past because I damn well feel like it, and because I haven't seen you in person for a couple of years now." She proclaimed in the tone of a woman who knew what and who she wanted; taking a step closer to him as Mafalda and MOchu both returned themselves in order to give them some privacy.

Thomas swallowed audibly, her close proximity allowing his all-seeing eyes to hyper-focus on every intimate detail of her body; her beautiful, glorious, sinfully Ungodly body, scars from wars and all. "I'm flattered you'd go to the trouble just to see me." He admitted, and Serena rolled her eyes while never losing that damnable smile of hers.

"It's no trouble at all, believe me. It was my genuine pleasure." She whispered, standing up on her tiptoes and ghosting her lips over his before pulling away; the sensation a literal phantom orgasm, never enough to fully satisfy him and leave him practically begging for more. She was a far cry from any canon version of Serena he'd seen; confident, strong, and beautiful beyond compare. And, by whatever higher power binded the lives of Zenith Omnidonae like him to lives like hers, Thomas knew they were bonded forever; just as they'd always been. He hated it, he hated this… she deserved so much better.

"Look, we've talked about this, remember? Serena, I… I'm damaged, more damaged than you will ever know." He reminded her tersely, trying to back away from her but equal parts displeased and delighted when she followed; always right on his ass, or dick… depending on the situation.

"I know you said that whole deal about how I can do better and yadda, yadda, yadda. But I distinctly remember telling you I don't care. Whatever broke you; we'll deal with it together. Didn't I promise you all of forever once before? Hasn't it sunk in yet that I would move the ZOF Realm for you? Or are you so consumed by whatever happened in your past to make you turn out this way that you can't even see that? You're stuck with me mister, now and forever… better start getting used to it." She whispered.

When she kissed him this time; it was much deeper and more prolonged, and for the first time in 2000 eternities… Thomas Infinity didn't fight it and kissed her back for all he was worth, the setting sun at their sides silhouetting them against the beach sand like something out of a fairy tale. They disappeared in a whirl of speed while still locking lips; intending to return to Thomas's primary body that was back at the Ketchum residence. If they were lucky, then perhaps they might be able to catch up on recent events in both of their lives.


End file.
